I Don't Want to be Caught Up in Your Love Story!
by InLoveWithFairyTail
Summary: Lucy Heartfilia, third ranked best fighter in Fairy Tail Girls', fell asleep in a tree over delinquent school Fairy Tail Boy's courtyard. When she overhears Natus Dragneel, number one delinquent and heartthrob, making a move on Levy McGarden, she jumps down to punch him. One thing leads to another, and Lucy somehow ends up helping his love life? (T for future fights) NaLu
1. Chapter 1

Lucy Heartfilia had heard about him, alright. Who hadn't heard of Fairy Tail Boys' Academy's number one delinquent, Natsu Dragneel? Everyone had heard about him, and every girl in Fairy Tail Girls' Academy feared him. Rumor had it that he took any female out there and dated them until he was tired of them; then, he just dumped them on the sidewalk, unconcerned of their welfare. Lucy had been warned about him by her friends, Levy and Erza, but she wasn't involved in that school's affairs anyways, so she was never worried about his presence. Natsu Dragneel, they said, never loved anyone seriously; his heart had been captured by one girl alone, and he dated whoever he wanted lightly until he found her.

"Who cares about him anyways?" Lucy sighed as her friends told her about his latest dumped girlfriend, Cana Alberona (who had tried to beat him up afterwards, but to no avail – he was just too good of a fighter). They were seated in the last class of the day (the one class they actually had together) and Levy insisted that this news was fresh and hot off the press; it had only happened one hour ago, or so she claimed.

"I wouldn't care about him," Levy whispered, "but he's actually good-looking. Such a shame that he has to belong to the dark side."

"Alright, Levy, he's not Darth Vader," Erza mumbled, looking at her friend with an annoyed expression.

"Yeah, but still. You don't understand, I've been up close to him before. Although, there IS another guy." With that, Levy McGarden turned around, sighing her head off. Lucy and Erza exchanged glances. They knew more about those Fairy Tail Boys more than she thought they did. After all, the "club" they joined was centered around them.

For generations, Fairy Tail Girls' had developed a secret organization called The Fairy Elites, where a collection of five girls were collected to fully beat up any FT Boy Delinquent that dared to try and bother their students. They were all ranked from one to five, five being the weakest fighter (but still stronger than most average girls) and one being the strongest. Lucy Heartfilia was third, Erza Scarlet was first, Mirajane Strauss was second, Cana Alberona was fourth, and Evergreen was fifth. Everyone in the alliance had a Fairy Tail Mark on their skin (the girls' and boys' school crest were both the same) with their number rank painted in the center of it. Lucy's was covered by a fingerless, Velcro glove she always wore on only one hand: her right hand. Everybody else had rearranged their uniforms in a way so that their tattoo was hidden.

There were certain procedures pertaining on when the girls could fight with the boys, and one of the times they weren't allowed to was when one of the boy delinquents dumped them (which now puts Cana into trouble). That was why the leaders of the Elites (Mavis Vermillion and Ultear Milkovich) had recommended that they don't get involved in relationships; it would limit their ability to fight.

"I wonder who _the_ Natsu Dragneel fell in love with though," Levy whispered, and Lucy rolled her eyes extravagantly. Who cared about who he loved? He was just a jerk anyways; someone who victimized girls without feeling a twinge of guilt was the worst.

"Whatever, McGarden," Erza said, pointing to the room door, "Bisca-sensei is coming, so quiet down your shoujo manga fantasies a little, okay?"

In the front of the room, Bisca (as Lucy liked to call her) was just walking in, her cowboy sense of style showing through her brown boots and wide-brimmed cowboy hat. Otherwise, she wore a normal blazer, dress shirt, and tight work skirt finished off with a deep red lipstick on her lips.

"Afternoon ladies and gents, and yee-haw! Like my new hat? My husband and I just bought it yesterday!"

Lucy watched as Levy looked out the window to look at Fairy Tail Boys'. She couldn't help but get the feeling there was more to Levy than she knew…

By the time the bell rang, Lucy felt exhausted and sleepy. Levy and Erza, who looked like they had things to do, went rushing off somewhere, leaving her alone. The blonde was okay with that; after all, she had resolved to take a nap anyways. But with her dictatorial father, Jude Heartfilia, at home, she knew that she wasn't going to gain any sleep there. So, she decided to look for a fitting place to "catch a few Z's", and that place was a tree; most of its leaves would hide her from view and one of the branches was wide enough to permit her to lie down for a while. Of course, there WAS the downside of it being right up against the wall that divided her school from the delinquent school, _and_ that it was hanging right over the courtyard of Fairy Tail Boys' Academy, but Lucy thought she could deal with any situation if one turned about. With that resolution fully in mind, the third ranked Elite Fighter climbed up the tree and settled down on her branch, completely satisfied. Her hoodie, orange for Fairy Tail's school colors, made her feel warm and cozy, a comfortable feeling on an otherwise very hard tree limb. In no time at all, the blonde had dozed off.

_Lucy, diminutive in her six-year-old body, had her head cast downward as she waited for her father to acknowledge her presence. But Jude, fully engrossed in his work, neither raised his head nor said a word to his daughter. Finally, tired of waiting, Lucy piped up in her tiny, small voice._

_ "Daddy."_

_ "What? Can't you see I'm working?"_

_ Lucy smiled toothily despite Jude's hard voice. She placed a messy looking rice ball with a face on her dad's desk, saying, "Here, I made this for you, Daddy."_

_ "We have a maid; I could have just called her to give me food."_

_ Lucy ignored his comment and went right on talking, "You know, Papa, today's a really special day…"_

_ "I'm working."_

_ "But, you know, today, today is-"_

_ "LUCY!" Jude bellowed and the six-year-old cowered in fear, "YOU'RE BOTHERING ME!"_

_ In one sweep of the hand, the rice ball flew off his desk and landed on the ground, scattering into crumbs. Lucy, despite her tears, gathered up the pieces of her hard work and crept out of the room, sobbing. Outside the doors, she knelt down and let her tears flow freely._

_ "Today, Daddy," she whispered, "is my birthday."_

"…come here. You'd like me a whole lot better."

The blonde woke up, unsure for a moment of where she was. Then she remembered: the tree branch. Her dream of the past had made her confused just a little bit, and she shook her head sadly. Then, realizing her weak emotions, she clenched her teeth and made a fist. She couldn't believe that she still had that dream even now, years later. Lucy bent down, clutching clumps of her hair, whispering fiercely, "I'm still weak, I'm still weak, I'm still weak."

"Come on Gajeel, do you even really love her?"

The sudden voice almost made her heart stop, and her body fall out of the tree. She caught herself just in time, palms sweating at the sudden shock.

"Keep away, you scum!"

"Aw come on. Come here Bookworm, I swear you'll like me a whole lot better than Ironface."

Mustering up her courage and regaining her composure, Lucy looked over the edge and caught her breath. Right below her was a salmon head, spiky and almost pink. No one could mistake that head of hair for anyone else but Natsu Dragneel, and across from him…that long spiky hairdo just had to be Gajeel Redfox, Dragneel's rival. Lucy could see several boys (or at least the top of their heads) gathered in the courtyard: one of them was blackish-bluish (Gray Fullbuster), another was orange (Loke Celeste), another was white (Elfman Strauss, Mira was going to kill him later for sure), another was blonde and was receiving murmurs about how cute he was (that had to be Eve Tearm), even Hibiki Lates and Ren Akatsuki were there. But the two heads Lucy almost fell out of the tree again over were the red and light blue _girl _ones; it was Levy and Erza. The scarlet-haired Elite stood next to a dark blue-haired guy, who had to be Jellal Fernandez. Then there was Levy, petite and silly Levy, who stood next to none other than Gajeel himself!

Across from the unlikely pair was Natsu Dragneel, who beckoned towards Levy sickeningly.

"I'll give you your first kiss," Natsu coaxed. The blonde swallowed back a lump of anger; how could he promise to give a kiss so easily?

"I only," Levy said in a quiet voice, "I only love Gajeel."

Dragneel seemed to be piqued by the comment, and said in a more aggressive voice this time, "I'll date you for two months then; the whole boyfriend experience and everything."

"But," Levy whispered, but Natsu had had enough. He took a step towards her meaningfully. Redfox swung a fist at him, apparently desperate to keep him away from his girl. But Loke and Gray had already pinned him against the wall, so that their "leader" could actually touch the petite bookworm.

Natsu had Levy against the wall and was leaning in to force a kiss on her, but Lucy had already swung into action. She was confused by why Erza had not helped her out, but she wasn't going to do the same. Before she had time to think it over, she jumped down from the tree, screaming, "Wait just a minute, Dragneel!"

Her dramatized entrance had the desired effect. The Salmon-Top stopped in his disgusting actions and looked up, his eyes widening when he saw the blonde falling from what seemed to be the sky. In less than two seconds, she had landed on top of him, pinning him to the ground with her knees so that he couldn't resist against her.

"Wait to go, blondie!" Gajeel yelled from where he was held up against the wall. Lucy just glared at him with her chocolate brown eyes and he fell silent immediately.

"What!? Let me go, Crazy! What right do you have to-?"

"Shut up!" Lucy barked, tearing off her Velcro glove so that her mark was revealed, "Fairy Elite, Rank 3, Lucy Heartfilia! And you, Natsu Dragneel, better hope to be alive after this one."

Without hesitating, the blonde gave him one punch right on the jaw. He passed out right away, his mouth hanging open, showing all of his sharp, dragon-like teeth. His breath was horrible, but at least she knew how he got the nickname Salmon Dragon now. Lucy stood up to dozens of awed Yankees; scowling angrily, she growled, "What are you all waiting for!? Leave!"

Thunderous footsteps resounded in her ears as the courtyard emptied rather quickly. Now in a very bad mood, the blonde flipped up her jacket's hood and managed to climb back up to her branch.

"Tch, my job here is done."

That being said, she jumped off the branch to arrive on the other side of the wall, and trudged back home, sure that her business with Natsu was done. Of course, fate has a way of surprising even the most prepared people.


	2. Chapter 2: Give Me Love Advice!

_Thanks dog's paw burning in hot ash for your review!_

_Thanks GoldenRoseTanya for supporting all of my stories!_

_Thanks crystal5329! I try my best to use correct grammar!_

_Thanks Alice Harkey! I try my best to make my stories as interesting as possible!_

**Chapter 2: Give Me Love Advice!**

She had knocked him out, yes. She would admit that, and she had had to go through all the trouble of explaining to Levy that she was indeed an Elite fighter. Erza, it turned out, had been dating Jellal or the past three months now, and said that Natsu had threatened her that he would hurt her friends if she dared move a muscle to save Levy (that low, low jerk!). Of course, the blonde had prepared herself at home to face this the next day when she went to school (after being yelled at by Jude), but there was something that she had miscalculated. And that was…Natsu Dragneel searching for her.

To avoid beating around the bush, Lucy had honestly thought the delinquent would leave her alone, and let her live out her life. Salmon Top apparently had other ideas, because when Lucy was dismissed from school the next day, he was waiting for her at the front gate, arms crossed. Gray Fullbuster and Loke Celeste were with him, examining the girls' school with awe. It wasn't a surprise since Fairy Tail Girls' was probably cleaner than their school by a mile.

"Blondie!" Natsu yelled, his finger pointing at her. His loud voice resounded in the courtyard, making every female in the vicinity shrink back. His usual scarf was wrapped around his neck, despite the warm weather. He didn't wear a tie around his uniform shirt's collar as his two buddies did, and his pants were shredded from all the rumbles he got involved in.

"Salmon Top?" Lucy asked, putting a hand in her sweater's pocket. Her hood was bunched up around her neck, which made her appear careless. In contrast, her pleated gray skirt was neat, as if it had just been ironed thoroughly.

"Get her," Dragneel ordered Gray and Loke, who sprung into action. The blonde took on a fighting stance, but the two boys were too quick. Gray already had her up in a princess carry, while Loke stood around, ready to fend off any attackers.

"Let me down! And what happened to your shirt!?"

Gray looked down and looked genuinely surprised that he wasn't adorning a top. He shrugged carelessly, "It was getting hot anyways."

He handed over the blonde to Natsu who held her tightly.

"I just wanna talk," Salmon Top muttered under his breath, but Lucy wasn't buying it. As he walked away, she kicked up a fuss, screaming and yelling, but no one came. Erza, she knew, was already off in a café somewhere, eating strawberry-flavored pastries with Jellal. Dragneel finally put her down on a bench in the park; he sat on the bench across from her, taking on a cross-legged position. He had his eyes closed and his eyebrows slanted down. Lucy, who knew that he was open for a kick and that she could run away at any moment, stayed right where she was; somehow, the atmosphere around them wasn't saying that a fight was going to ensue at any moment.

"What did you bring me here for?" Lucy mumbled, eyes cast downward. Natsu didn't answer, but looked up, face brightly lit.

"There," he said, pointing to something behind her. She turned around correspondingly and saw a white-haired girl passing the park. She wore Edolas Elite Academy's uniform (Edolas was just a copycat of Fairy Tail's schools, everyone knew that) and she was pretty. Her short hair was neatly arranged around her face, and her blue eyes shone brightly. Her white complexion was flawless, and she had an hourglass figure, a sign that her weight was perfectly balanced (something that Lucy had trouble with according to her maid, Ms. Supetto).

"Lisanna Strauss?" the blonde said quizzically, "What about her?"

"She's the one I like," Dragneel said simply as Lucy whipped around to stare at him in astonishment.

"Her? She's the one YOU like?" Lucy asked incredulously.

"Well, yeah," Salmon Top replied, then looked down at the blonde with a accusing stare. "Why? Something wrong with it?"

"Well," Lucy said, biting her lip, "She's a bit…out of your league."

"What!?" Natsu asked, "Nah! You're joking."

"Why would I do that?"

"Lisanna and I have been childhood friends like, for forever."

"And it'll stay that way," Lucy sighed, shaking her head.

"No it won't!" Dragneel insisted, then looked away with embarrassment, "Well, not after this anyways."

"What are you talking about?" Lucy inquired, already preparing to give him a punch in the face. If he suggested that they start fake dating just to make Lisanna Strauss jealous, she would make sure she didn't knock him out on the first hit this time; it would be slow, painful slugging.

"You," Natsu said, pointing at her, "are going to give ME…love advice."

The blonde just sat there for a moment, gazing at Salmon Top with utter disbelief. Then she started to crack up.

"Okay, okay," she said between fits of laughter, "For a moment there, I thought you said you wanted me to help out with your love life."

"I DID say that," Dragneel pouted, taking his legs out of that criss-cross-applesauce formation.

Silence descended upon the pair, with Lucy looking right at the lovelorn boy across from her. Then, the blonde exploded.

"What!?" Lucy cried, "No! What makes you think that I'm even GOOD at these things?"

"You're a girl, aren't you?"

"That does NOT mean I'm a pro at love!"

"Aw come on, you're the only girl that can help me with this. Every other girl is too scared of me…"

"And whose fault is that?"

"Erza scares me, even if I don't show it, and Mira gets too hyped up about these things."

"Wait, wait, you KNOW that Erza and Mira are Elites?"

"Of course I do, all the guys know who the first two ranked Elites are. We just don't know who the Elites are below the second ranking…well, we know now that you're the third."

"I am absolutely, positively, NOT helping you."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yeah."

"Would you still be sure about that if I say I'll fake date your cousin Michelle Lobster, and dump her without any mercy?"

Lucy turned, shocked at his guiltless blackmailing, "You wouldn't…!"

"I would. I'll even kiss her if we have time."

The blonde gave him her utmost withering look, but she knew that she had already lost to this jerk.

"Fine, I'll concede," she sighed, pocketing her hands, "I'll be involved in your love drama."

"Great," the delinquent smiled cockily, "so give me love advice, Lucy Heartfilia!"


	3. Chapter 3: Operation LHGFRT: Makeover!

_Thanks everyone for reviewing! I'm really glad you like my story!_

**Chapter 3: Session One of LHGFRT: Makeover!**

Lucy had resolved to stay in on Sunday to sleep; it was one of the pleasures of life! But it was barely just nine in the morning when her cell phone buzzed, telling her that she had received a text message. The blonde, hair ruffled, popped out from under her blanket and grabbed her phone from the top of her nightstand. Groggily, she checked the screen to see who had mustered up enough nerve to wake her up so early in the morning. The faintly glowing screen read: THAT JERK. It was Natsu; he had forced her to give him her cell number, something that she wished she had knocked him out for. She couldn't believe that the delinquent actually woke up this early on a weekend. Finally coming out of her shock, she flipped open her phone and read what he had typed to her.

_Come meet me in the park._

He really didn't know how to beat around the bush a little, did he? Lucy didn't even bother reply to him; it would only just upset her mood even more. Reluctantly, she threw off her fluffy blanket and got out of bed. Being a Heartfilia, her room was palatial. Lush carpeting covered the floor, drawers and wardrobes of every size lined the walls; bookcases filled with dozens and dozens of books were clustered together in the corner of her room. On the wall opposite her room door, floor-to-ceiling windows were covered by linen curtains. The blonde walked straight to a worn looking dresser and brought out a ripped pair of skinny jeans and a blue hoodie. All her other dressers held rich, extravagant ballroom dresses that Lucy couldn't even bear looking at because it was so fancy.

She descended her house's marvelous marble stairs and went into the dining room, where a feast of a breakfast was already waiting for her. As usual, she sighed at the over-the-top morning meal; for once, she wished she could just have a simple plate of pancakes like other teenagers her age.

"Ah, good morning, Lucy-sama," Ms. Supetto nodded at her from a corner of the room. The blonde smiled in return and grabbed a Belgian waffle from one plate. Quickly, she put some berries and whipped cream on top of it, and stuffed in her mouth. It was clear that her maid disapproved of this, but she said nothing. Lucy gestured to the table.

"You guys can help yourselves," the blonde said after swallowing her waffle. Ms. Supetto was working herself up for another argument, but the teenager was already at the front doors. Without further delay, she exited her mansion and rushed down the steps.

"Where are you going, mistress?" the maid called from behind her. Lucy turned back, giving her a crooked smile, "To the park. For a walk."

It would have been very stupid of Lucy to tell Ms. Supetto that she was going to meet up with a boy named Natsu. Her maid would want all the details, and there would be no doubt that she'd go rushing off to Jude if she learned he was a troublemaker.

"See you later, Supetto," Lucy called and walked out of the Heartfilia front gates. The day was pleasant, or at least, pleasant enough for a day scheduled for her to meet up with Dragneel. A light breeze was blowing through her hair, and the dappled shadows of trees danced across her face. The blonde made a sharp turn around a corner and instantly saw the blot of salmon that was Natsu.

The park was a magnificent place, full of peaceful ponds, towering pines, and even a cemented path that ran around the whole park. Benches were situated everywhere, structures of honey-colored wood and black, metal legs. Lucy breathed in the fresh air, and approached her new "partner".

A stout little tree was hiding most of Natsu, so that only his head bobbed into view. The blonde prepared herself to see him punk clothing: sleeveless t-shirts, and ripped up black skinny jeans, finished off with glistening black combat boots, but that wasn't what she saw. What she SAW was a whole lot more shocking; in contrast to what she had imagined, he was wearing WHITE, but that wasn't what had given her a mini heart attack. Natsu Dragneel must have owned zero fashion sense (except for the fact that what he was adorning was matching in color) because he was wearing roomy white pants (you know, the kind that disco dancers used to wear), and a rogue-prince-on-a-white-horse, billowing linen shirt. On his feet were white clogs, which probably made him four inches taller than he actually was. Lucy, shriveling up from embarrassment, almost ran away screaming that she didn't know him when he addressed her.

"Hi, Lucy."

"WHAT on the land of EARTH are you WEARING!?" the blonde yelped, grabbing bunches of her hair.

"Oh, this?" Salmon Top grinned, "I figured I would try to find a way to grab Lisanna's attention, and this is what I came up with."

"You'll catch her attention, alright," Lucy almost sobbed, "but in the wrong way."

"Huh?"

"We are not going into public with you like that, and we are certainly not going to appear in front of Strauss with you like that."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Natsu asked her grouchily, crossing his arms.

"Session One of Lucy Heartfilia's Glamour For Romance Training – LHGFRT for short – start! The first step is a makeover!"

Lucy had somehow managed to drag the delinquent a mile away from the park without being seen by anybody. She was now confronted with her teacher's, Bisca's, house. As far as the blonde knew, her instructor knew make-up well enough to have it match her cowboy fetish.

"What are we here for?" Natsu whined extravagantly. Lucy rolled her eyes, "For makeup."

"What!? I am not wearing cosmetics!"

"Relax, I'm going to ask her to put something on your face that will make your skin look like it's glowing."

"Glowing?" Natsu asked skeptically, and Lucy nodded, encouraging him to step up and be a man. The delinquent conceded at last and the pair made their way up to Bisca's front door, which opened on the first ring of the door bell.

"Lucy!" Bisca-sensei said happily and her face slackened into a look of shock when she saw Natsu, either from shock of seeing the number one delinquent of Fairy Tail Boys' or from witnessing his horrendous style. "Uh, what are you and your...interestingly dressed friend doing here?"

"Teacher," Lucy said seriously, "can you please put do something to make Natsu's skin have a more…glowy feeling?"

The light-green haired woman brightened up at the request, "Of course!"

She ushered the two of them in, eager to get started. "My husband isn't home right now because he's at the toy store with Asuka – that's my daughter you know."

"Isn't your husband Alzack?" Natsu asked as they were pushed into the living room. "Alzack from Fairy Tail Boys'?"

"Yes! How did you know?"

"He talks about you all the time."

"Does he now?" Bisca said sheepishly, blushing shyly. She waved off the comment with an embarrassed shake of the head, "You don't want to hear about my love life."

"No, no, we have time," Lucy assured, putting her hands on her hips, "Besides, your guys' relationship seems less eccentric than a certain one I know of." At this statement, the blonde stared pointedly at Salmon Top, who paid no attention to her. He only watched as Bisca retreated into a room, saying, "That's great, then."

The teacher disappeared for a few seconds and when she next emerged from the room, she was carrying a thick brush and a compact container. The container proved to hold blush and Natsu almost had a panic attack when he saw it.

"I change my mind! What kind of delinquent gets caught wearing make-up anyways?"

"And what kind of girl gets caught up in a delinquent's love story? Now close your eyes and let her do the professional work, and she can tell us about HER love story."

Bisca immediately began to stroke Natsu's face with the brush, which had been dipped in a skin color blush. As she worked, she filled in Salmon Top and the blonde about how she had met Alzack. According to her story, she had met him when she and her friends had gone to a makeshift rodeo. She had seen Alzack pretending to ride a plastic bull, and it all took off from there. They had gotten along well during their conversation, and had agreed to meet up in a café – a Western style one – where they could continue their chat. They ended up transforming into a couple, and Alzack had surprised her with a proposal when they had traveled to Hollywood, California together.

"How…romantic, with a Western style touch," Lucy commented, and Bisca laughed pleasantly.

"I have to admit, my story is a bit…different…from other ones," the teacher replied, turning towards Lucy with amusement.

"That was nice story, lady, but are you done yet?" Natsu complained. His eyes were still closed, and looked as if he were cramping up from sitting too long.

"Oh, yes."

Salmon Top took a look in the mirror, and examined his face closely. There wasn't much of a difference, except that his face seemed to radiate light.

"Not too bad," he murmured, "At least I don't look like a girl!"

Lucy looked at him without much amusement; sure, he DID look better now…but that outfit wasn't showing much of the improvement. She got up from the couch she had been sitting on, and pulled him towards the door. Without much hesitation, she swung it open.

"Come on, Natsu, I know a fashion queen who can cure you right away. Thanks, Bisca-sensei! We'll be going now!"

"Anytime, Lucy, and…good luck with whatever you're dealing with…"

"Wait…hey!" Natsu said indignantly but Bisca had already closed her door.

"And where are we NOW?" Natsu whined, dusting off his pants. Lucy really wondered why he even bothered to do it since she was sure he would be out of it in about ten minutes or so. To be honest, she thought that even a trash bag would have been less humiliating as they made their way to her second helper's house.

"This," she said flatly, "is Evergreen's house."

"Evergreen? You mean that girl that's OBSESSED with fairies? I think I'll skip on this one."

"No, you're not, because if you do, you're skipping out on Lisanna."

Salmon Top sighed, a sign that made it clear that he was expecting a horrible next ten minutes. Ignoring his tiny tantrum, the blonde – for the millionth time that day, she SWORE – dragged her unexpected Sunday partner towards the front door. This time, they had to wait for five rings until the entrance opened. Standing before them was a mature looking girl with light-brown hair and glasses; she wore a green robe over her tight yellow dress, and held a fan just in front of her face.

"Lucy?" Evergreen addressed her and peered around her to see who the other visitor was. The girl seemed to almost faint when she saw Salmon Top, "And WHO is the Fashion Disaster behind you? Wait, isn't that Natsu Dragneel?!"

"Um, yeah, long story. Look, Evergreen, can you help him with his little – I mean huge – clothing mistake?"

"How could I not? I mean, just LOOK at him."

She allowed them to enter and ordered them to go into the living room. The two of them escorted themselves to the predestined room and waited for Evergreen to come. Natsu was awed by the large space, almost covered completely with fairy decorations and glitter. On one of the posters was Evergreen herself, except she was adorned with fairy wings that seemed to protrude from her back. On the table in front of the couch were several stone fairy carvings, looking lifelike and real. Salmon Top shivered at the sight and forced himself to sit on the sofa despite how uncomfortable he felt.

"This place," he whispered, "is really creepy."

"Shut up, she might come back at any second!" the blonde shushed him. Finally, her friend came out from a room and gestured for Natsu to come.

"I need to check if this will suit you. I've got another room for you in here so that you can change. No, Lucy, you stay here," she added when the Elite Fighter made a move to follow. "It'll disrupt my flow of work if you come in."

"Oh, okay."

Evergreen and Natsu disappeared into the room, and Lucy spent several awkward minutes sitting in the living room, with just her and the silent fairy figurines. Every person on the posters seemed to look at her emotionlessly; the Blondie had no idea how her friend could just spend all day at home without screaming insanely. On the other hand, it WAS Evergreen.

Lucy felt relieved when she saw the familiar glasses-girl emerging from the doorway; she perked up, curious about Natsu. Evergreen gave her a faint smile, and waved her hand towards the room she had just come from with a flourish.

"Voila! My masterpiece…is done!"

Salmon Top waltzed out of the room and all Lucy could say was…wow. He was dressed in a black, short sleeved button up dress shirt, which was left unbuttoned to reveal his white, v-neck t-shirt on the inside; he wore dark blue skinny jeans and on his feet were black sandals. It gave him a nice casual but just-been-to-the-beach kind of look; of course, what would Natsu be without his usual scarf wrapped about his neck?

"I couldn't get him to take it off," Evergreen sighed, but she was obviously satisfied with her work. "This is why I buy men's clothing! For emergencies like this!"

"Yeah, I was kind of wondering why you had guy clothes," Natsu said, scratching the back of his head.

"L-let's go find Lisanna Strauss, Natsu."

"Huh? Alright then!"

"Thanks Evergreen!" Lucy waved at her friend good-bye and Natsu followed her out the door.

"Have a nice time now that you look fabulous!" Glasses-Girl called and shut her door. The sun was beginning to set in the distance, coloring the sky pink, orange, and yellow. Natsu walked ahead of her, apparently hyped about meeting up with his childhood friend. Despite herself, Lucy felt like she had had a lot of fun today, something she wouldn't admit to Natsu; she had a feeling he would get all teasy about it, laughing raucously and making jokes about her.

"That girl," Salmon Top said suddenly, making the blonde jump. She cursed herself as Natsu started to laugh at her.

"What?"

"Evergreen…was it? Is she an Elite too?"

"Uh, yeah," Lucy said stupidly and cursed herself again. Now that Evergreen's cover was blown, she would get into a lot of trouble with Mavis and Ultear.

"I won't tell the others…since you helped me seriously today."

The blonde fell silent, looking at the back of Natsu's head with wonderment; he turned around.

"What? You look surprised."

"Nothing, I just thought that you didn't know how to be sincere and nice."

Salmon Top laughed, "I try not to be."

Lucy permitted herself to smile and Natsu turned around fully, then he continued to walk backwards. It was his turn now to look at her in awe.

"What? You look surprised."

"Nothing, I just thought that you didn't know how to smile."

"Everybody knows how to smile. It's just a simple pull of the lips, a simple twitch of the muscles," the blonde chided and covered her mouth immediately.

Salmon Top gave her a soft smile, "So you're a geek too, huh? You know, Lucy, a smile can be much more than that; it can be something special. I'd like to know more about you, now that you've shown me that you can turn your frown some degrees."

Lucy stared at him, and said, "I think the expression is 'turn that frown upside down'."

"Is it? Ah, well, I've never been good with sayings. Anyways, we're here."

They were in front of a recreation center and Lucy could already see a white-haired girl exiting the building.

"I'll keep out of sight and follow you guys."

"Like a stalker?"

"Shut up."

Lucy positioned herself behind a wall and watched as Lisanna came up to meet Natsu; she seemed genuinely surprised by his appearance. Salmon Top said something, and she laughed sweetly; as they started to chat, they turned to walk away. The blonde trailed after them stealthily, using streetlamps, bushes, trees, and low walls for cover. She even had to crouch beside a trash can at one point when Natsu got Lisanna a drink at a vending machine. They finally stepped into a neighborhood, and Lucy rushed to streetlamp after streetlamp, getting tired from her efforts. The pair ahead of the blonde finally stopped at the gate of a two story house, and stood there talking for a while; Lucy managed to get close enough to hear the two of them talking. The "stalker" had her back up against a wall that had leaves spilling over its side. Lucy looked up and saw a tree; so this was some kind of planter, if she wanted to, she could easily scale the wall and go up to where all the vegetation was growing. But of course, the conversation before her was too interesting to let it go by.

"Thanks for taking me home," Lisanna told Natsu, looking up at him shyly. Salmon Top had his eyes averted, looking off somewhere in the distance. Slowly, he brought his gaze to meet Lisanna's. His eyes were full of affection, a sight that rubbed Lucy the wrong way for some reason.

"No problem," he replied, giving her a toothy grin. His childhood friend grinned back him without any hesitation.

"Why don't you come in for a cup of tea?" Lisanna inquired of him.

"Oh, alright," he answered and followed her through the gate, blushing slightly. The blonde could not believe the nerve of him. He KNEW that she had been following them, yet he had just left her so that she could walk home alone!? Maybe she had misjudged him back there when they were walking together, maybe he WAS a jerk after all…and if so, why did she even care?

"I'm going to pummel him for this," she whispered as she leapt up to climb the wall. She pulled herself up onto the planter, walked for a length, then jumped down on the other side. Moodily, she began to walk home, hands in her pockets. She didn't walk for long before two strong hands gripped her; the blonde didn't even have time to scream before a calloused hand draped itself over her mouth. Frantically, she kicked her legs, hoping to kick whoever was holding her, but to no avail. She attempted to look at her captor's face and a chill ran down her spine. His face was crusty and bearded, and he had a silver front tooth; he smiled creepily as he pinned her arms to his chest.

"Hey, Billy, ain't this the chick who's that Jude Heartfilia's daughter or somethin'?"

From behind him, a large man with a chubby face came out from the shadows and examined her, "Yeah, I think she is."

"Then that means we can get a load of money outta her if we kidnap her for ransom, doncha think so?"

Billy grinned cruelly, "Yep. Reckon we can, Willy."

Lucy thrashed even more, desperate to escape but Willy was too strong. Tears brimmed her eyes as his grip tightened around her. Someone save me, she thought in her frightened state, someone save me! Natsu…please! The two men were trying to drag her along as her yells were muffled.

"Nashu!" she cried with Willy's crusty hands still over her mouth. "Nashu!"

Lucy began to give up all hope when a shadow passed overhead. A salmon blur appeared before her eyes as a familiar voice shouted, "WHAT'RE YOU DOIN' WITH LUCY!?"

The blonde's captor flew about three feet as Natsu's fist made contact with his face. He was knocked down, but stood up slowly as Billy charged towards him angrily.

"Give back our money!"

"Sorry, buddy, but my friend here ain't just an object you can sell!" Natsu's elbow connected with his face. There was sickening crunch as Billy's nose bent at an awkward angle. The large man was down on the ground, wailing in misery at his nose. Willy yelled indignantly, crouching beside his partner.

"Do you know who I am, bastards!?" Natsu yelled.

Willy looked up at Salmon Top, fear beginning to dawn in his eyes, "Scarf…salmon hair…onyx eyes…you're Natsu…Dragneel!"

"That's right," Salmon Top said aggressively, picking Willy up by his shirt collar, "and are you going to make this same mistake?"

"N-no."

"I'm guessing you're just a couple of drunks. Maybe you should turn your life around…in prison."

In one swift motion, Natsu had both of the guys out cold. Salmon Top returned to the blonde, shaking his hands. He walked right past her, grabbed a rope from a trash pile and tied them up with it. Finally, he led Lucy over to a payphone, dialed the police and told them about their location. When the cops arrived, they packed a sniveling pair of men into their cars, and drove off.

"Are you sure you're going to be safe once they get out of prison?" Lucy trembled, pointing at the leaving police cars. Suddenly, Natsu pulled her into a hug, just for a second, then pulled back.

"I'll be fine, but are you okay?"

Lucy, shaking a little bit, nodded weakly.

"Why didn't you wait for me!?"

"What!?" Lucy said, anger replacing fear, "Are you suggesting that I wait in the cold for you to finish up your rendezvous, Dragneel!? 'Cause if you are, I'll-"

"Alright, sorry," Salmon Top smiled weakly and wrapped an arm around her, "Let's just get you home, 'kay?"

"Alright," Lucy sniffed, throwing his arm off, "but don't act overfriendly with me."

"Okay, okay."

"What happened to Lisanna?"

"I remembered you…and ditched her. Looks like you're gonna have to try harder at this LHGFRT thing."

"Looks like it."

"It'll be fun."

"And you'll be annoying."

They smiled at each other, and said in unison, "I can't wait."


	4. Chapter 4: Operation Take Her Home!

_Thanks Everyone for Reviewing for my story! It always encourages me to update sooner! _

_Cat Goliath, ha ha, I know, when I named Billy and Willy, I almost cracked up myself…_

_Thanks for all the NaLu lovers out there!_

**Chapter 4: Operation Take Her Home!**

Last night, Jude had been furious to find his daughter coming home at night. He had spent most of the time lecturing her about what it meant to be a proper young lady of a successful businessman. He grew even angrier when he heard about the near-kidnapping incident; on the bright side, Lucy had been smart enough to order Natsu to go home when they reached her house. Jude Heartfilia would not have been pleased to discover his daughter was hanging out with the "likes of him". Now, sitting in class, she was exhausted from the lack of sleep she had earned from Jude's endless harangue. It was math class, and Levy and Erza were in an entirely different one, unaware of what had happened to their blonde friend. Lucy was sitting in a new seat; apparently, Minerva-sensei thought it was the right time to change up the seating arrangements. The blonde now sat in a window seat, where the sun beat down on her mercilessly; today, she had worn a short-sleeved dress shirt with a sleeveless orange hoodie over it. A ribbon adorned her shirt collar and as usual, she wore the uniform's gray, pleated skirt; on her legs were thigh high black socks with black sneakers on her feet. The heat that radiated towards her now made her regret her choice of leg and footwear.

Now that she was by the window, she kept noticing things and got distracted repetitively. For one, she noticed that the shades of a classroom in Fairy Tail Boys' had finally been drawn up, a very rare occurrence for the delinquent school. And she spotted a very familiar colored head, whose personage was waving at her vigorously. The head was salmon and the boy wore a scarf even though the weather was unbearable for an article of clothing like that; as usual, his pants were ripped and he did not wear a tie.

Natsu Dragneel took out his cell phone and waved it at her. Lucy, well learned in what that meant, gave him the thumbs up sign, and looked around her classroom to make sure no one was watching her. The girl behind her – was her name Wendy? – was completely engrossed in her notes, not paying attention to what the person in front of her was doing; the person next to her – Kinana? – was also looking at her notes fixatedly, and the individual in front of her – Cheria?- made no move to look behind her.

Lucy turned back to the window and made a little "X" sign, hoping he would understand that he shouldn't talk to her anymore. But she didn't need to, he was already looking at the front of the classroom, listening to his teacher talk.

"Really, that guy," she muttered, turning back to listen to Minerva.

Lucy had rushed out of class immediately to meet up with Salmon Top. According to his text message, he was waiting for her at the left side of Fairy Tail Boys', where they would be hidden from view by surrounding trees. The blonde went to the right side of Fairy Tail Girls' and encountered a fence; deftly, she found a hole and crawled through it, and found herself looking up at Natsu.

"Can't you come here normally?" he asked her.

"Not unless you want me to be caught by teachers," she answered, brushing herself off. When she lifted her head, she almost jumped at the sight of several boys looking at her. There were the Trimens group (Hibiki, Eve, and Ren), Gray, Loke, and Jellal.

"Uh, hi," Lucy greeted awkwardly.

"I hear you're helping Natsu-san with his love life, how kind," Eve said, crowding her on one side. From behind her, the blonde heard Ren saying, "You're cute, and I'm not saying that because I like you."

"Here's a cool water bottle for your efforts," Hibiki offered from in front. Lucy felt a faint throb in her head from their flirting and walked right past them, not bothering to see their reactions.

"Dragneel," she said bemusedly, "what's the meaning of this?"

"I told them you were helping me with Lisanna," Salmon Top grinned recklessly, leaning against the wall.

"He really does need the help, he's an idiot when it comes to these kinds of things," Gray added, and Natsu scowled at him.

"He's not experienced as some people are," Loke stated, gesturing towards himself. Lucy rolled her eyes and leaned against the fence so that she was facing Salmon Top; there were a few feet between them, but the blonde felt as if they were face-to-face.

"So, what's the plan today?" Natsu asked her, playing with his scarf. The blonde cocked her head thoughtfully, considering the options. They were at school this week, Lisanna was too…it couldn't get more obvious could it?

"Does Lisanna leave school right away?" the blonde inquired.

"Nope, she has to practice for the tennis club."

"Then it isn't complicated, is it? This time, we'll be working on Operation Take Her Home!" Lucy concluded and Salmon Top lifted his head to stare at her incredulously. It was as if he had just downed a whole tankard of alcohol because his face grew bright red soon after.

"What!? Take Lisanna home!? All the way to her HOUSE!? Do you even know how nerve-wracking it was for me to take her home last night!?" Salmon Top demanded, eyebrows scrunching up together; Lucy noticed he did that whenever he was stressed. Natsu stood for a moment in silence then exploded again.

"That means I'll have to talk to her!"

"Yeah, that's the idea, unless you what to spend your time walking home in silence."

"I won't be walking her home AT ALL."

Lucy frowned grumpily, "Yes, you are, unless you want your romance to come tumbling down around your ears…you're walking that girl home."

Salmon Top was on the verge of wailing in misery, the blonde could tell; he had his face blanketed under his hands. Apparently, his other friends could tell as well, because Eve spoke up bravely.

"What if you practice, Natsu?"

The delinquent uncovered his face slowly, then asked in confused tones, "What do you mean?"

"Why don't you practice walking Lucy home for a while? Then, you'll have enough experience to escort Lisanna-san home."

Salmon Top considered the idea for a moment, then looked up at Lucy with a bright expression. He was completely warming up to the idea, and was encouraging the blonde to do the same. But she wouldn't stand for it, not after what had happened with Jude last night.

"No way, if my dad sees you, we're all dead."

"I'll walk you to the corner where it turns into the park, then I'll leave," Natsu suggested. Everyone was looking at the blonde with expecting eyes, and finally she caved in, giving out a tremendous sigh.

"Alright!" Natsu shouted and draped his arm around her shoulders, "Let's go home, then!"

The blonde stumbled as he pulled her along, but recovered from being flustered enough to remind him that she had to leave through the fence. He nodded in agreement and informed her that he was going to leave like a NORMAL kid. From there, they met at the front gate of the delinquent school and trudged to Lucy's house together. For a while, neither of them said anything to each other, which set about an awkward atmosphere. Then, Salmon Top, not able to stand it anymore, broke it.

"Uh…how's school?"

Lucy looked at him with an amused stare, "I really hope that's not how you're going to start your conversation with Lisanna."

"Then…how?"

"How about…you look good today?"

Natsu stared at her seriously, and said, "You look good today."

The blonde burst out laughing and Salmon Top looked away, whining, "What? What did I do wrong?"

"You don't need to be so serious!" she said, giggling.

"Fine," Natsu replied gruffly and looked at her with a softer expression. Keeping her gaze, he murmured, "You look good today."

Lucy averted her eyes immediately, her face feeling hot all of a sudden. It must have been the weather today, making her feel that way. Still, she couldn't bring herself to look back at the delinquent right next to her when he asked, "How about that time, huh, Lucy?"

"Good," she managed to say, while her mind said, "A little TOO good."

"Than what?" Salmon Top inquired, rubbing his chin. He was concentrating seriously, making his face scrunch up.

"Stop that," Lucy commanded and he turned his head to look at her, "Stop what?"

"Scrunching up your face, it doesn't look good."

"Then you stop looking so angry all of the time. It doesn't look good."

Lucy was irritated by this statement, and she crossed her arms because of it. This guy was really an idiot, how could even say such a thing to a girl? That is, if he even looked at her as a girl. The blonde glanced at him from the corner of her eyes, and kicked him in the shins.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"As if you didn't know," she answered, holding her head high up. She began to walk ahead of him, still lifting her head higher than it normally was.

"Lucy! Watch out!" he called out, and the blonde screamed as she bumped into a fire hydrant and began to tip forward. A pair of strong arms pulled her back and she found herself looking up at Natsu's face with the back her head against his chest. He was forcing her to look up at him, holding her head firmly in his hands.

"You," he muttered, "are such a klutz."

"Shut up Salmon Top, and let me go!" the blonde snapped back and struggled against his grip, but he still held her tightly.

"Let me go, Natsu!"

"I can't."

"What?!"

"In case you haven't noticed, you're grabbing my hair."

Lucy realized it was true; her right hand was bent towards his head, grabbing a fistful of hair. Embarrassedly, she let go and he heaved her up, chuckling to himself softly. The blonde kept walking in the direction of her house, trying to ignore his laughter.

"I think I'm going to like taking you home, Luce," he said from behind her.

"Why? And don't call me that."

"It'll be fun…and eventful."

"Whatever…we're here."

Salmon Top looked at her with twinkling eyes and gave a curt wave of his hand, "See you, Blondie."

"Right."

As he turned around, Lucy couldn't help but feel somewhat mixed up with her emotions.

That whole week, Natsu never failed to appear right beside her when she started her way back home. He trotted next to her, laughing and recounting his day's events to her. Sometimes she laughed too, and sometimes she punched him on the shoulder, annoyed by what he said. That short walk from school to home seemed to grow shorter as the blonde began to realize how much fun it was to walk with Natsu, but she would never tell him that. By the time she realized it, it was already the last day of the week, and the final day she would have a walking partner (following Natsu and Lisanna home didn't count).

"Then Alzack opened the soda can he received from Gray…and it splashed all over him!" Salmon Top was saying, bursting out in laughter. Lucy stared at him as he did so, admiring how his face lit up like a lamp. Suddenly, he stopped, and looked up at her.

"What's wrong, Luce? You look kind of down in the trash cans."

"It's down in the dumps, Natsu, and don't call me that. I'm not depressed."

"Really?"

"Yeah…actually, no."

He looked at her questioningly and she sighed loudly, "Don't you realize this is the last day we're walking with each other?"

"Yeah, and?"

"So we won't be able to talk like this anymore."

"Yeah we will, we're working on LHGFRT, remember?"

"Well, yeah, but…" the blonde's voice trailed off, and she finished her sentence in her head, "but it won't be the same."

"But what?"

"Nothing Natsu, just go back to talking."

Salmon Top stayed quiet for a moment then continued to fill her in about what had happened in school. The blonde tried her best to smile at the appropriate times, but inside, for some reason she didn't know about, she was a mess…

Sunday passed by quickly, and so did school on Monday. Lucy was feeling reluctant to meet up with Salmon Top and witness him bring his childhood friend to her house. Last time she had followed them, she had almost been kidnapped by two guys whose names rhymed. She could almost feel their rough hands grabbing her again and she shivered. But, true to her promise, the blonde showed up at the delinquent front gates, and accompanied Natsu on his walk to Lisanna's school.

Edolas Co-Ed Elite School even LOOKED like Fairy Tail's schools. It was made of stone and had orange flags…this copycat institute had no idea where to stop in their imitations. This was one of the reasons why the principal of the school, Michelle Lobster, had earned the nickname Imitatia. Surprisingly, she was also Lucy's cousin, and turned out to be an actual klutz most of the time.

"Lisanna should be out in ten minutes," Natsu said pleasantly and Lucy muttered, "Great." Moodily, she told him that she would crouch behind a bush, and he nodded, not really paying attention to what she said much. The blonde, still in a rather bad mood, watched as Salmon Top waited for the white-haired beauty. She finally emerged, her school uniform rumpled a little, and her hair disheveled. Natsu laughed at her and without much nervousness, smoothed out her hair. Strauss, blue orbs shining, said to him, "I can't believe you're here, Natsu."

"Yeah, sorry about Sunday."

"No problem."

The two of them started to walk off, and Lucy sprang into action, weaving her way to hiding place after hiding place. A feeling of déjà vu overtook her as she did so, and she sincerely hoped nobody named Bobby and Robby or something would decide to kidnap her. She didn't think she could go through such an ordeal again without breaking someone's nose as well. As she moved skillfully along, she could barely hear Lisanna and Natsu's chatter up ahead; her own breathing clouded her ears, making her only catch snippets of their talk.

"Yeah, so school is good," Lisanna said, and Natsu said something after that, but Lucy couldn't quite hear. This proved to be frustrating after a while; how could LHGFRT ever become a success if she didn't even know what to improve upon?

"You look good today," she heard Salmon Top say and she crouched for a while, straining to see the look on his face. It was hard to see his expression, but the tone of his voice showed that he had meant it. The blonde realized right then and there that he had just been practicing when he had said the very same thing to her. It stung a little to discover this, and she bit her lip nervously.

"Thanks, Natsu."

Lucy shook her head vigorously and rushed along to trail after them again. By the time they reached the destined house, she was panting, sweating, and seriously wishing for a shower. Still, Salmon Top stood for a while, talking and laughing with Lisanna.

"Really? Mira said that?"

"Yeah, and Elf-niichan said that you should be more like a man," the white-haired girl laughed, and Natsu joined in with her. Lucy was now too tired to even care about their chat, but she tried her best to stay awake and listen. She almost snickered when Salmon Top made a cheesy joke, and grit her teeth when he caught Lisanna when she stumbled. Unknown to the blonde, many expressions passed her face as the conversation in front of her progressed, sometimes taking a turn for an embarrassed atmosphere and sometimes turning into a joking mood. By the time the delinquent had finished talking to her, it was already six in the afternoon, and she was cramping up from standing against the wall for so long. Natsu walked right past her pleasantly, whistling to himself. Annoyed, Lucy kicked him down, and stretched out her arms.

"Oh…Luce!"

"Don't call me that. Looks like everything went well," the blonde commented, beginning to walk away.

"Hold up," he called out to her, scrambling back up onto his feet, "Yeah, looks like it."

"You are a chatterbox."

"Isn't this what you wanted? I did a good job today."

"Natsu, you're going to be taking her home _everyday_."

"I know…wait, what!?"

"This is the power of LHGFRT!"

"Wait, Luce-!"

"Lu_cy_."

"Lucy, hold up!"

The blonde began to run and the delinquent followed her, stumbling occasionally, and yelling, "Blondie, stop!"

Lucy couldn't help but smile to herself, whispering, "Oh, Natsu…"


	5. Chapter 5: Operation School Appearance!

_Thanks for the reviews everyone! I am REALLY REALLY happy that you like my story! Please Review!_

**Chapter 5: Operation School Appearance **

The house loomed over her, menacing and foreboding. Lucy Heartfilia was probably facing the hardest LHGFRT operation so far, and she hated to be intimidated. But still, as she examined the building in front of her, her heart leaped and pounded inside her as if it were participating in the Olympics itself. To her right, a plaque read: DRAGNEEL. The house was pleasant enough: the gate was metal and waist high, and the garden was blooming with beautiful vegetation, but the blonde couldn't help but consider the option of running away. How had she even gotten into this mess? It had all started yesterday, on the roof of a certain delinquent school…

Lucy had been called up him in the morning, an hour before school even started. She had made her way past the front doors of Fairy Tail Boys' without a problem, and had not even been surprised when she had discovered that Natsu was accompanied by his friends. They all ignored her, and Salmon Top had not even acknowledged that she was there; he was on his back on the ground, looking up at the sky above him. Lucy nudged him with the toe of her shoe, and he had sat up, eagerly awaiting what she had in store. His hair was ruffled, his shirt messily buttoned, his pants torn, and his scarf was arranged not very neatly. This was the daily uniform style of Natsu Dragneel, delinquent extraordinaire.

"What you got?"

"I don't know. Seriously, Natsu, I don't plan the stages of LHGFRT in my free time, you know."

Salmon Top looked disappointed, but remained determined, "We'll come up with something, right?"

"Sure, Natsu."

Gray, stripped of his shirt, suddenly appeared next to them, running his hand through his hair, "What's with the stupid way of wearing your uniform today, Slanty Eyes?"

Salmon Top, annoyed by his friend's insult, shot back, "Can someone who isn't wearing a shirt really say that?"

The blonde, amused by their argument, was aware that Gray had become the weirdest Muse ever for her next LHGFRT step. Glancing at Salmon Top, she could already see the possibilities.

"Our next operation will be Operation School Appearance!"

Natsu peered at her for a moment as his bangs fell into his face, then he pushed them up out of the way. He looked down at himself, then looked up at her again, "What's wrong with the way I dress?"

"Everything."

"I think I look cool."

The blonde rolled her eyes, replying, "I bet you thought that way that one Sunday, as well, didn't you?"

"I paid a good price for those clothes."

"Two cents?"

"You're mean."

"And I don't really care."

Salmon Top got on his back again and closed his eyes leisurely. As he put his hands under his head, he told her, "I don't see how you're going to help me choose my uniform, since you can't come over during the afternoons."

"Come over? Where?"

"My house."

Lucy stared at him incredulously, "Why would I go to your house?"

"To pick out my clothes.

She looked at him for a moment, then yelled, "Can't you just bring your clothes to school, or whatever!?"

"I can't; out teachers search our bags and confiscate anything that they think we won't need."

Lucy let her head loll to one side, sighing, "That's what you get for being in a delinquent academy." The blonde sat down slowly and rest her head upon her knees, considering what to do about the problem they were facing.

"I don't mean to barge in," a voice said from above her. Lucy looked up and saw Eve Tearm looking straight down at her; he was smiling pleasantly enough, but there seemed to be a look of mischievous enjoyment in his eyes.

"Why don't you go to Natsu-san's house in the morning to pick out his clothes?"

Lucy stared at the boy, and laughed out loud, her right hand stuck out to give the sign to "stop". She wiped a tear from her eye and said, "For a moment there, I thought you said to go to Salmon Top's home every morning just to pick out what he needs to wear."

From his place on the ground, Natsu called out, "I think you need to get your ears cleaned or something, Blondie, because that's exactly what he said."

Lucy should have freaked out, pulled out her hair, screamed "No" at the top of her lungs, but none of that happened. The thought of seeing the inside of a delinquent's house, and seeing the kind of environment Natsu Dragneel lived in…well, that intrigued her. Curiosity killed the cat, as they say (or as Natsu says "Curiosity beat up the panther"), and Lucy said yes, she would try out Eve's idea.

However, now that the blonde was actually confronting the actual thing, she was scared. She was absolutely convinced that she had not been herself when she agreed to the plan; the very thought of entering Salmon Top's house was extremely mortifying and froze her to the spot.

"I can't believe…I did this."

But still, Lucy wasn't the one to go back on her promises, and she had been the one who had entered this mess on her own accord. So, mustering up as much courage as she could get, the Blondie creaked open the gate, and approached the front door. The doorbell was worn out, and Lucy was worried that it would break off when she pressed it. Fortunately it didn't, but the blonde barely had time to register this fact when she heard the resounding buzz going off from within the house. A minute passed by before the door opened, revealing a short blue-haired girl, dressed in a Fairy Tail Girls' uniform. She looked vaguely familiar as her eyes widened in shock.

"Lucy-san? Is that you?"

The blonde stared at her for a moment before she recognized the girl standing before her, "Oh, you're…Wendy Marvel, right?"

"Yes! Do you want to come in?"

"Yes, uh, I'm here to see…Natsu?" Lucy stated as she stepped inside.

The blue-haired shortie, in the midst of shutting the door and tying her hair into pigtails, snapped her head up immediately. "Here to see…Natsu-san?"

"Yes."

"Wendy, who is it?" a deep voice called out from what seemed to be the living room. A moment later, a man with a five o' clock shadow spread across his chin appeared in the entrance hall. He had fiery red hair and he looked at Lucy in confusion. "Who are you?"'

The blonde bowed in respect, "I'm Lucy Heartfilia, Natsu's friend. I'm here to see him?"

"Bah, you're lying. Natsu has no female friends besides Lisanna."

"It's…true, I am," Lucy replied weakly, already feeling her courage draining away. "May I ask with whom am I addressing?"

"Igneel Dragneel," the man answered, scratching his chin, "Natsu's father. And I'm tellin' you, Natsu doesn't have any other female friends besides Lisanna."

"Onii-sama," a female voice said from behind Igneel, "please don't scare our guests!"

The red-haired man turned around, slightly annoyed, "Grandine…"

A beautiful woman with long bluish-silvery hair stepped out from behind Natsu's father with an irritated expression on her face. She looked at Lucy for a moment, studying her. "Hello, dear, I am Grandine Marvel, Wendy's mother, and the little sister of Igneel. You say you are looking for Natsu?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"He's upstairs, dear."

Lucy nodded her thanks and began to make her way to the mentioned steps, but a shadow loomed above her. It was Natsu himself, dressed in nothing but his boxers. In a whiny voice, he said, "What's with all the commotion down here? You know I have sensitive ears!"

"Kyaa! Natsu-san!" Wendy cried out, blushing, "We have a guest!"

"Dragneel!" Lucy gasped, her face becoming hot. Natsu looked at her and shrugged his shoulders, "Gray does it all the time."

"Natsu, dress!" Grandine ordered, and Salmon Top bounded away upstairs. He returned dressed up in pajamas with dragon designs.

"Lucy's here to help me improve my school uniform," he explained, and gestured for the blonde to come.

"Well, finally, someone has enough sense to point out that the way he dresses for school is atrocious," Grandine muttered audibly, and Igneel protested, "I think it's pretty cool."

"Not really, Uncle-san," Wendy said, lamenting over his poor fashion sense. The three of them walked away, and Lucy had no choice but to follow Natsu into his room.

Surprisingly, his bedroom was neatly organized. His schoolwork was on his desk, there was a table in the center, and he was just beginning to make his bed. The curtains were pulled back so that sunlight streamed into the room, making it warm and cozy.

"Nice," Lucy complimented and Salmon Top nodded in reply. "Where are your school clothes?"

Natsu pointed to a hamper in the corner, and said, "In there."

The blonde wandered over, and heaved up the bundles of clothes in the container. Wasting no time, she laid out all articles of clothing on the carpet, and quickly ruled out the dirty and ripped dress shirts and pants. After a great amount of searching, she found a pair of pants that was in perfect condition, and a dress shirt that wasn't missing buttons. Due to her perseverance, she also discovered a necktie hidden in the tangles of mistreated clothes, and an orange cardigan with the Fairy Tail symbol on the right hand chest. There was a red orange stripe on each upper arm of the cardigan, giving it a stylish appearance.

"Here Natsu," she said finally, handing him the gray pants, white dress shirt, gray necktie, and orange cardigan, "put this on."

Salmon Top obliged without any arguments, and withdrew to the bathroom. When he emerged, he looked like a new man, freshly clean, and smart-looking. The orange cardigan was worn over his white dress shirt, and the sleeves went all the way to his wrists. The white shirt underneath was only slightly longer than the cardigan; the pants looked as if they had been freshly ironed, and weren't baggy. He had put on black sneakers with white shoelaces to top everything off. This time, his scarf had been taken off, and Lucy could make out a faint scar on the right side of his neck. He looked vaguely uncomfortable without his winter wear wrapped about his neck, but tried to endure without it.

"You look good," Lucy said, smiling. She was more satisfied with his outfit than hers, even. She had basically just thrown on the school vest and skirt this morning due to her nervousness.

"Thanks. Aunt Grandine will like it."

"I bet she will…hey, Natsu?"

"What?"

"Is Wendy your cousin?"

"Yep…so is Gajeel."

"Really? Then why did you try to steal his girl?"

"Gajeel made fun of Lisanna's tennis techniques…and Uncle Metalicana disrespected Igneel and Grandine, his older siblings."

"Isn't that too harsh? I mean, your tactic of payback?""

Natsu shrugged, "That's the Dragneel way of doing things."

As they made their way down the stairs, Lucy tried to fix his collar and necktie, aware that she was being too fussy. Grandine was at the foot of the steps and smiled when she saw her nephew.

"That's better. Come, have breakfast you two."

The blonde nodded her thanks and trailed after aunt and nephew to the kitchen table. There, a plate of pancakes was already set out for her. Remembering her wish for a normal breakfast, the blonde smiled. Salmon Top peered at her as if she were weird.

"What's wrong with you Luce?"

"Don't call me that, and nothing."

Lucy observed as the family ate their breakfast, occasionally laughing and yelling at each other. The blonde looked down at her plate, thinking, "I wish my family was like this."

"Wow…nice job Lucy," Gray said, looking at Natsu as if her were an alien. They were at the left side of Fairy Tail Boys' again, and Loke, Gray, Eve, Hibiki, Ren, Eve, and Elfman were looking at Natsu in awe.

"C'mon, guys, stop that," he complained leaning back against a wall. The blonde grinned at him, saying, "I'm really satisfied with this outfit."

Salmon Top looked at her, and groaned. "Everyone's making such a big deal out of it."

"Of course they are! For the first time ever, you actually look nice…" Lucy said, and Natsu glared at her. "Hey, when Lisanna's clinging onto to you, thank me."

Salmon Top rolled his eyes, and crossed his arms. "Whatever."

"Now all you need to do is look like this every day," Lucy said, grinning widely.

"Ugh…" he groaned and slid down the wall into a sitting position. He reached for his scarf to play around with it, realized it wasn't there, and then sat in a state of self-pity. His mood was dampening everyone's spirits and Lucy kicked him for it.

"Ow!" he complained and the blonde squatted won to pinch his cheeks. She looked into his onyx eyes and said, "You're going to cheer up and go through with this, or your love life is going to go down the drain."

"Fine," he conceded, pulling away from her grasp. Suddenly, he grabbed her hands with his and kept her gaze.

"But you're going to help me with my love life, right?"

Lucy rolled her eyes, "Of course."

Salmon Top gave her a huge smile, "Thanks Luce."

"Whatever… and don't call me that!"

Natsu wrapped his arm around her, laughing ostentatiously. Lucy looked at him from the corner of her eye, smiling to herself gently. With Salmon Top around in the mornings now, she could feel that she was going to be doing that several times more.

_Surprisingly, Natsu actually DOES have a scar on his neck! I didn't make that up….I was surprised to learn this myself! Hope you liked this chapter! _


	6. Chapter 6: Breaktime 1

**Chapter 6: Break time: Natsu, Lucy, and Quarrels**

It was a great Sunday afternoon to just relax and possibly watch a movie with Ms. Supetto and the cook. But, of course, Lucy's plans were always ruined by just one person; that person had no consideration or whatsoever about the plans of others. It was none other than Natsu Dragneel, rough, tough, and troublemaking delinquent of Fairy Tail Boys. The blonde was tired of thinking of him that way, but she was scared to think about him in another sense. He would seem to be more appealing, and nicer…lately, Lucy had been thinking about these things. She tried to convince herself that it was definitely not love, but…

_I'm at Blue Pegasus Café. Meet me there…NOW. Natsu._

Alright, it was absolutely, most definitely, positively not love. Not towards this jerk, anyways, who liked Lisanna, and thought wearing ripped up pants to school was cool.

"Alright, Dragneel," she muttered as she slipped on a light jacket, "let's see how well your fashion sense has improved."

"Where are you going, mistress?" Ms. Supetto asked, and Lucy replied vaguely, "A café."

Before any more questions could be asked, the blonde rushed towards the door, threw it open, and charged down the steps in a hurry. The maid was shocked at the young lady's behavior; lately, she had seemed more energetic, and just little bit more ecstatic to go to school. But, Ms. Supetto still disapproved of running in the mansion, and she shut the door Lucy-sama had left open irritably.

"Hmph."

Lucy, meanwhile, was crossing the street to enter Caitshelter Plaza, the place to be at when you wanted to hang out with your friends. On several occasions, the blonde herself had been here, walking into various shops with Levy and Erza, picking out clothes (and putting them down when they saw the price tag)and buying ice cream cones. Thinking about her friends, Lucy realized how much time she had spent away from them lately, and how distant Erza and Levy had been from each other ever since that incident. The scarlet-haired girl had apologized many times for her action (she explained that she had not wanted Jellal to break up with her if she opposed Natsu's wishes) and had tried to make it up to the petite blue-haired girl. But Levy was standing firm, and Lucy often found her in the company of Gajeel and his friends: Juvia, Totomaru, and Laxus. Totomaru considered himself to be a rival of Natsu (even though Salmon Top had beaten him up countless times already), Laxus could knock out Natsu with one punch (but preferred not to, because Natsu had connections with some of the best Yankees out there), and Juvia just plain loved Gray. The blonde was saddened by her friends' quarrel, but tried not to involve herself too much in it; she didn't want to choose sides, and end up losing the trust of one of them.

The blonde turned a corner, dodged a few people, and located the Blue Pegasus Café. This little hotspot was one that Lucy, Levy, and Erza had barely went to, because some of the weirdest boys went there. The flirtatious Trimens were always found there, and Erza was deathly scared of a certain guy named Ichiya, who had a thing towards her. Lucy had to admit though, Ichiya was creepy, and so was his cat, Nichiya, who looked exactly like him. Her scarlet-haired friend had nearly fainted when she had seen the owner and cat together, convinced that Ichiya had somehow managed to duplicate himself. In addition, Mirajane's model rival, Jenny, would be seen drinking smoothies there most of the time. The blonde girl, though pretty, was feisty and liked to butt heads with the white-haired beauty all the time. And the thing was, Mira would get into it, becoming completely scary when Jenny tried to trick her, or cheat.

Levy claimed that Hibiki's ever present fanfirls made her nauseous, and that Ren and Sherry's – a girl who attended Lamia Scale Elite Academy, along with Gray's rival Lyon – lovey-dovey aura sickened her to no end. She was especially annoyed when Hibiki had been found smooching with Jenny (much to Ren's shock) and had announced that flirtatious atmospheres were not her style. Erza just wanted to keep a thousand foot distance between her and Ichiya at all times. Now as Lucy entered the café, she spotted the Trimens right away, and Ichiya sitting in the corner, practicing his poses. Jenny was also there, sipping a berry smoothie, and laughing with Hibiki at the front. At a table sat Ren and Sherry – Sherry being straightforward and Ren being tsundere – being a happy, loving couple. Eve was sitting at another table, talking to Yukino Agria, who replied with a soft giggle. In a booth, way in the back, and alone, sat Natsu, looking uncomfortable.

"Natsu!" Lucy called and Salmon Top looked up, his face flooding with relief.

"Luce! I thought you'd never come."

"Don't call me that…and don't be silly."

"Lucy! Would you like a beverage?" Hibiki said, suddenly kneeling before her. Ren was at her side, still hugging Sherry, "Uh you're cute today, I guess."

"Lucy-san! How could you?" Sherry whined, holding onto Ren.

"You two, just go back to your seats," Eve ordered and motioned Lucy to go to Natsu. The blonde nodded her thanks, and sat in the booth, fiddling with her hands for a moment.

"You haven't even made a comment about what I'm wearing."

Lucy looked up, blushing, "Oh."

Natsu had apparently gained some kind of awareness towards what he wore because today, his clothes were satisfactory. He wore a reddish-purplish thin sweater over a red shirt that was slightly longer than his outerwear. Two white strings protruded from his sweater hood, and they were of equal length. He was wearing beige cargo shorts, and flip flops, giving him a sporty feel. His scarf was nowhere in sight, and he wore a watch on his right hand. He cocked an eyebrow.

"So, what do you think?"

"You look good…I mean your clothes look good, okay!? Your clothes!"

Natsu laughed softly, leaning back against his seat. "You're weird, Lucy."

Suddenly, he seemed to remember something and shot forward so that he leaned on the table. "I made up a nickname for you Lucy!"

"It's not Luce is it? Because I told you, don't call me that."

"No, no! You ready? It's…Luigi!"

The blonde stared at him for several moments, waiting for him to say that he was kidding. It didn't come, and finally she spoke. "That…is the stupidest thing I have heard this whole school year…no, the stupidest thing EVER in the sixteen years of my LIFE."

"Hey, I worked really hard on it."

"Salmon Top, hate to break it to you, but my name is Lucy. Not Luce, not Luigi, Lucy."

"Well, if you get to call me Salmon Top, I get to call you…Blondie."

"Don't you already call me that?"

"Oh, yeah, huh?"

"You're hopeless."

Natsu leaned back on his seat, scratching his head, and pouting. His face looked so ridiculous that Lucy started to laugh.

"WHAT?"

"Nothing…anyways, why'd you call me out here?"

Salmon Top stopped fiddling with his sweater hood strings and looked at her, incredulous.

"Isn't it obvious?"

_A date? _ "No."

"I want to hang out with you."

_So, a date? _"Why? We see each other like…every day at school, and we talk to each other every day…and you text me almost every day."

"But we've never really hung out like this, right?"

_So, it's a date. _

"Well, no."

"There you have it then."

_So, it's a date!?_

"I guess."

"So, where do you want to go?"

_It's a date!_

"Um…er…" Lucy's thoughts had her all mixed up, and she lost the ability to speak. And, Salmon Top was staring right at her. Her face began to heat up, and all that came out was gibberish.

"Are you sick Lucy?"

"N-no…!"

Oh, what would happen now? It was obvious that she was the only one malfunctioning. Natsu was completely calm, unaware of the turmoil in her heart. _Natsu likes Lisanna, so I can't like him…Natsu likes Lisanna so I can't like him…Natsu likes-_

"Lucy, like, whoa, is that you!?"

The blonde looked up and saw a very familiar face. The guy had purple hair and a white streak in his bangs. He had weirdly shaped eyebrows that resembled arrows, and he wore a green plaid button up shirt with a light green shirt underneath, and dark blue skinny jeans. He had a lopsided grin on his face as he peered down at her.

"Hughes!" Lucy exclaimed, getting up to hug her childhood friend. He gave her a half hug back and grinned even wider.

"You've like, whoa, grown way taller!"

"Well, it HAS been six years or so, hasn't it?"

"Yep."

"How's Mary?" the blonde asked, referring to his twin sister.

Hughes scrunched up his face, "Bearable, but annoying. Oh, and she's healthy."

Lucy laughed, "Where is she?"

"Shoppin' with Coco."

"Coco's here?"

"Well, like, how could we travel without her?"

"You're right. How's Zentopia Private Elite in Osaka?"

"Good…"

Hughes looked towards the booth where she was sitting, spotted Natsu, and frowned. "Who's he?"

"A friend of mine."

"You look familiar…aren't you that delinquent from Fairy Tail Boys?"

"Yeah, what's it to you?" Salmon Top scowled. He was feeling suddenly very irritated after seeing this guy.

"Why are you hanging out with him, Lucy?" Hughes asked the blonde and she waved it off.

"He's okay."

"OKAY? You meet up with your past boyfriend, and suddenly I become OKAY?" Natsu growled and Lucy blushed.

"He's not- it's not- we never – we're not – it's not like that!"

"Okay, like, whoa, buddy," Hughes scowled, "it's not cool to talk like that to a girl."

"Whatever," Salmon Top said, which made the purple-haired boy grit his teeth.

"Do you, like, wanna go?"

Natsu snapped around, holding up his fists, and said, "Alright, if you're not too SCARED."

"Alright, boys, it's totally not cool to fight in a public place."

A girl that resembled Hughes had just stepped in, pushing Salmon Top and her twin brother away from each other.

"Mary!" Lucy said gleefully. Her other childhood friend smiled at her, "Hey Lucy!"

Mary looked exactly like her brother, except, of course she had much more girlish features. Otherwise she had the same arrow eyebrows, yellow eyes, purple hair, and white streak (although hers was brushed to the left while her brother's was brushed to the right). Her hair was shoulder length and less messy than Hughes's.

From behind her, stepped aside a shorter girl, with braided hair and cute facial features.

"Coco!"

"Princess!"

"Oh, Mary, you're done shopping already?" Hughes asked distastefully and his sister punched him on the arm. He rubbed it moodily and glared at Natsu, who returned the favor.

"Why are you hanging out with a Yankee like him, Lucy?"

The blonde smiled, and said in low tones, "I'm helping him with his love life…please don't tell Daddy, okay?"

Hughes sighed, as Mary mimicked the act of zipping up her mouth. Coco saluted her, making the blonde giggle.

"As you wish, your Royal Highness," Hughes muttered sarcastically and Lucy gave him a punch in the stomach.

"Oomph!"

Lucy turned to Salmon Top, who was crossing his arms and having a silent tantrum.

"Natsu, can we hang out with them as well, today?"

The delinquent whipped around, almost falling out of his seat in the process. "What? WHY?!"

"Excuse me?" Mary said, raising an eyebrow, and putting her hands on her hips.

"I mean, you guys are good," Natsu replied indicating towards Coco and Mary, then he pointed to Hughes, "but he isn't. He'll probably try and make a move on Lucy or something."

"Natsu!"

"Why do you, like, even care?" Hughes growled, crossing his arms together.

"Who knows? Maybe it's your weird eyebrows that tick me off."

"Natsu-!"

"Oi, buddy, you're totally insulting me too with that comment!" Mary protested, pointing towards her arrow-shaped eyebrows. Natsu held up his hands in a gesture of an apology.

"Then maybe it's your face," he said instead to Hughes.

"We have the same face!" Mary yelled.

What had been Natsu Versus Hughes had turned into Natsu Versus Mary.

"Why don't you say something about his way of talking. Like how he totally says 'like' and 'whoa' way too totally often?"

"Yeah, but you say 'totally' too much. So your guys' way of talking are both equally aggravating."

"You are SO asking to be hit in the face."

"Please don't. I feel awry about hitting girls."

"You're actually considering fighting me!?"

"I never said that."

"This guy…!"

"Exactly how like, whoa, I felt," Hughes interjected and Lucy tried to shush him.

"You know what, Arrow Guy and Arrow Girl, I don't feel like hanging out with you!"

"Then don't!" the twins shouted in unison. By this time, every person in Blue Pegasus was looking at them and the blonde felt like shrinking down to a small size.

"You guys! Stop squabbling!"

"Stay out of this Blondie," Natsu snapped and Lucy started to emit a dark aura.

"Natsu Dragneel…you are so dead!"

The blonde lunged towards Salmon Top, only to be pulled back by Hughes and Mary. "We'll get him."

The purple headed twins pounced on the poor salmon-haired boy who punched back. They were fighting each other to a standstill when Bob-san, the owner of the café, showed up.

"Please stop fighting!" Bob-san ordered, exuding hearts everywhere. "You boys can't destroy those pretty little faces of yours, and a girl should definitely not be acting like this!"

"I'm sorry, Mister," Lucy bowed, dragging her three friends behind her, "We were just leaving."

The blonde made her way to the door with Coco following closely behind.

* * *

Lucy tried to make the best out of the situation, and tried to get them to get along with each other. But every time they went to buy something, Natsu would race to get there first, and try to hold up the line. Every time they saw something interesting, like birds landing closely enough for them to see the details of their wings, Hughes would try to block Natsu's view. And when Mary found both boys unbearably irritating, she pushed them down onto the ground. Coco told Lucy that this was the daily life of the twins Hughes and Mary, and the blonde smiled meekly. How could this little brown-haired girl hold up with this kind of roughhousing and childish behavior? Several times, Hughes put his hand on her shoulder and Natsu would grab and thrust him back. This led to many fights that the blonde had to put a stop to. By the time the sky turned orange and tinted with pink, she was exhausted. She bid her childhood friends good bye, who said they were staying in a hotel called Crocus Gardens (she didn't invite them over because Jude didn't even KNOW she had childhood friends), gave Natsu a good night, and headed home. She couldn't wait to sink into a bathtub and rub away all her stress.

* * *

Immediately after Lucy had disappeared behind a corner, Hughes grabbed Natsu's collar. The salmon-haired boy grunted and pushed him aside. He was really annoyed by Lucy's old friend's behavior, and wanted to punch the guy's nose in, but the blonde would murder him if she found out about it. Mary and Coco stood behind him, watching Hughes talk to Natsu. The boy jabbed his chest, making him more annoying than he already was. (Who knew it was possible!? Well, Natsu did.)

"Look, okay," Hughes snarled, "like, whoa. I don't like how close you are to Lucy, and all I need to say is…back…off."

"Why?"

"'Why?' 'Why?' Because I like her, you idiot, and I, like, whoa, I don't want her to end up loving someone like you."

Natsu was offended by this. "Why not?"

"You guys are too different. The thick-headed, hot-blooded number one delinquent, and the beautiful, smart, nice, and understanding Lucy Heartfilia. I've liked her ever since we were small, so don't get close to her."

With that, the guy walked off, leaving Natsu boiling mad. The salmon-haired delinquent rushed off, bounding around corners, racing past streetlights…he needed to catch up with Lucy and talk to her. He needed to tell her not to get together with Hughes…but a certain white-haired girl bumped into him.

"Natsu?" Lisanna said incredulously. "Are you here to visit me?"

"Well, not exactly…"

"That's great! I was just going to the supermarket. Wanna come with?"

Natsu wanted to say no, he didn't have time to go to the market, he needed to find Lucy, and tell her…what did he need to tell her again? It had something to do with Hughes, but he felt like there was something more he wanted to say…something important. A feeling stirred inside him, and Natsu recognized it immediately. Why shouldn't he? He had felt it towards Lisanna dozens of times, but this time, it was directed towards a different girl…this feeling of "like"…

Natsu shook his head. No, it couldn't be. He didn't like Lucy in that way. After all, he had Lisanna and right now, she was holding his hand, dragging him to the market. He should be happy, but he was vaguely aware that he wasn't. Longingly, he looked back to where he had been heading off to a minute ago. _No, I like Lisanna…I like Lisanna…I like Lisanna…don't I?_

* * *

Mary could tell when her brother was seriously angry. Like now, for instance. She knew he was boiling mad towards that salmon-haired, hot-tempered guy. As she dried off her hair from her shower, her brother stood up, clenching his jaw angrily.

"Mary, I need to take action, now…"

"Whatever…" she replied and sat down on a couch to watch some television. Truthfully, she was looking at Hughes from the corner of her eyes, worried about him. _Girls have a better sense of romance than guys, _she was thinking, _I'm sorry, brother, but Lucy's already…._

"Mary!" Coco's voice sounded from the bathroom, "Where's the lotion?"

"Oh, I have it!" the girl called back, and rushed off to provide Coco with what she needed.

* * *

Erza had seen it. She had definitely seen it. Today, on her date with Jellal, she had witnessed Lucy going into Blue Pegasus Café. The scarlet-haired girl had followed her curiously, and she had seen it.

And no, she wasn't referring to that creep, Ichiya. She had seen it. She had seen Lucy sitting down with Natsu Dragneel. If she hadn't been cut off by those twins and that brunette, she would have charged in and punched that salmon-haired jerk right away. She didn't want to lose another friend. But Lucy had been having fun, she could tell. She clenched her jaw in anger.

"Unforgivable…"

* * *

Levy had seen it. She had seen it with her two very own eyes. Erza had been right outside the café Lucy had been in, probably waiting for her to come out…So those two were playing buddies behind her back? Lucy had made it clear to them that she wasn't choosing sides. But now…how could she?

She had also seen Lucy together with Natsu…so the moment Levy had turned her back, Erza and Lucy were companions with the jerk of a guy who had tried to force a kiss on her? That wretched Lucy…lying to her like that…hanging out with Erza…flirting with Natsu…

Levy clenched her fists in anger.

"Unforgivable…"

* * *

**I hope you liked this Chapter! Please Review and tell me what you think! My favorite bad guy in Fairy Tail was Hughes! :)**


	7. Chapter 7: Enter Hughes and Gajeel

**Chapter 7: Enter Hughes and Gajeel**

"What are you doing?"

Mary knew she shouldn't have asked her twin brother the question, but he was entirely focused on a magazine, and it was rare for him to ever be focused on something like that. Hughes picked up what he was reading and showed her. Scrunching her eyebrows together, she leaned in to take a look. What she saw made her want to explode with laughter.

"Seven Steps to Achieve Your Romance?"

"Yeah."

"And why are you reading something like that?"

"Lucy…"

Mary rolled her eyes and grabbed one of the many granola bars they had bought the other day. Slowly, she unwrapped it and took a bite. "You know, she told me she absolutely hates those things."

Her brother threw down the book in frustration, and started to pound the table. "Then what am I supposed to do?"

The purple-haired girl sighed, resting her head on her hand. For an older brother (by three minutes), he sure didn't act like one. They had been together for as long as she could remember; always put into the same classes, and always sitting right next to each other. They had met Lucy when they had been five years old, and Hughes had fallen for her when she had given him a complete set of monster toys. A silly thing to begin a love over, but some romances started in more peculiar ways. Mary took another bite of her breakfast, greeting Coco as she emerged from her room, hair ruffled and pajamas creased. The brunette looked down at Hughes, who was in the midst of tearing up the magazine.

"Hey!" she whined, pointing to it, "That was mine!"

Mary's twin brother stopped he was doing. "Oh. Here you go, Coco."

He handed the small girl the shredded remains of a one dollar and fifty cents book.

"Gee, thanks."

Hughes got up, trudging past Mary and grabbing a granola bar himself. It was the same flavor as his twin sister's and he chewed slowly on it. Next, he withdrew to his room, and a few minutes later, came out dressed in a red soccer jersey, black skinny jeans, and black sneakers. He slipped on a light sports jacket and ran his hands through his messy hair. Then he finished up his breakfast, threw away the wrapper, and waved them good-bye.

"Where are you going?" Coco asked him, drinking up a glass of milk.

"To find Lucy."

"You know she's at school now, right?" Mary said without glancing at him. Just because Zentopia had issued a break, didn't mean all the other schools had.

"I don't care. I'm going."

Mary watched as her brother shut the door behind him.

"He's in too deep."

Coco surveyed her oatmeal reluctantly, "I have a feeling that Princess already…"

"Room service!" a voice sounded from the hallway. Mary exchanged glances with Coco. Neither of them had ordered anything.

"Hughes…" they groaned and trudged off to open the door.

* * *

For as long as Gray Fullbuster could remember, Natsu Dragneel, widely known idiot and troublemaker, had never concentrated like that until Lucy Heartfilia had joined their group. Right now, it was math class, and as Gray looked at his friend, who sat next to him, his face was all scrunched up, and his mouth was turned down. As Yajima-sensei droned on about parabolas and graphs, Gray prodded the Pink Idiot with his foot. Natsu snapped around to look at him, still lost in his thoughts.

"What are you even thinking about?"

"What? No."

"What do you mean no?"

"I already ate."

"You idiot, you're not making sense."

"Go ask Loke."

The black-haired boy rolled his eyes at his friend's stupidity. The idiot was probably thinking about Lisanna or something…or Lucy. He could never be entirely sure these days. The hothead obviously found Lucy special, but Gray wasn't sure if it was "special" as in love or "Special" as in best friend.

He wasn't even sure why he was wondering about Slanty-Eyes's love life, because right now, he had a problem of his own. And that was…that light blue-haired girl staring at him from the classroom of Fairy Tail Girls'. Juvia Lockser was a disconcerting subject for him, and recently, Erza had told him that he should make his feelings clear to her, and he had decided that…

"Mr. Fullbuster! Are you listening?" Yajima-sensei said from the front of the classroom. Gray nodded, and stood up to answer his teacher's math question.

* * *

He had seen Levy's tears.

"He'll pay for this," Gajeel muttered, and tromped his way out of the classroom when the lunch bell rang.

* * *

Lucy wasn't sure how to react when the bell dismissed her for lunch, and she found Hughes standing at the front gate. He was dressed casually, and smiled when the blonde came up to him. He held out his hands to show her that he had bought hamburgers for the two of them. Lucy accepted the offering with a slight smile and led him to a cherry blossom tree located at the back of the school. There was a small bench underneath the tree, just big enough for two people to sit side-by-side, arms touching. Lucy thought she felt her childhood friend flinch at her touch, but she shrugged it off, classifying it as her imagination. She unwrapped her burger and bit into it, wondering what she should talk to Hughes about.

"Have you made any new friends at Zentopia?"

The purple-haired boy nodded, swallowing down his food. "There's this kid named Byro. He's like sour-faced most of the time, like, whoa, but he's okay."

The blonde took a sip of her soda, and repositioned her butt on the bench. It was starting to feel uncomfortable, but she endured it. A cherry blossom petal fell onto her lap and she picked it up daintily. It was shaped like a little teardrop and exuded a strong aroma despite its small size. Lucy showed it to Hughes, shoving it right into his face, and almost making him fall off the seat. When she started to laugh, she swore she saw a hint of a blush on his face, but shrugged it off again.

"I think Natsu would like this," Lucy said, "Surprisingly, he likes things that smell nice."

"I don't really care about what that guy dislikes and likes," Hughes replied, biting into his burger again, and washing it down with his beverage. Lucy frowned, disappointed that her childhood friend and current friend had not gotten along well with each other.

"Lucy…" Hughes said, turning towards her suddenly.

"What?"

The purple-haired boy was staring at her intensely now. "Towards Natsu, do you-?"

Suddenly, he lost his balance on the seat, collided with Lucy, and they fell onto the ground. He was on top of her, not averting her gaze. The blonde wanted to push him off, but his face was so close that she was scared she would bump into it. Her heart was thumping loudly, but not fast. If this were a different boy, a certain salmon-haired one, would she have reacted differently? Hughes was still staring at her.

"Lucy…" he said, but was cut off by a rouse of cheers. The sound was coming from Fairy Tail Boys'.

"What was that?" the blonde said, and got up as Hughes moved out of the way. She dusted off her skirt, and ran to the front of her school, her childhood friend following closely behind. A swarm of girls was exiting the front gate and heading to the delinquent school right next to them, the rarest occurrence by far in the Fairy Tail Academies' history.

"What's happening?" Lucy wondered, and the feeling of anxiety overwhelmed her. She followed the crowd out the gate, pushed through feminine and male bodies, and listened as the sounds of punches and grunting grew louder. She was in the Fairy Tail Boys' courtyard now, she could tell. She pushed away at clustered boys, desperation arising within her. She had a very bad feeling about this. A fight was going on, and the blonde knew she wasn't going to like what she saw. At last, she broke through to the front and would have choked on any food she might have had in her mouth if she had had any.

In the ragged circle formed my people were Natsu, Gajeel, and Laxus. Salmon Top was on the ground, covered in scratches, bruised, and gagging. It was obvious he was not faring well in the fight. Above him towered Gajeel, cracking his fingers. The iron-faced thug stuck out a hand at Laxus, indicating for him to step back. The blonde boy obliged, striding backwards and joining the audience.

"So first you try to kiss my girl and now you hang out with her ex-friend to blackmail Levy? You're one lowdown piece of garbage, you know that?" As he said so, the boy delivered a hard blow into Natsu's stomach. Salmon Top coughed, and Lucy knew that he would have barfed up anything in his stomach with that punch; the fact that he didn't probably meant that he hadn't eaten anything. Natsu, panting heavily, tried to get up, but Gajeel kicked him down.

"Gajeel, you punk!" Gray Fullbuster's voice shouted from somewhere; he was probably being held back by Redfox's cronies.

"I'm not…" Natsu panted, "I'm not blackmailin' anybody. Lucy's my friend because she wants to be."

Gajeel grabbed him by the collar and smiled, "I really don't think so."

Salmon Top was thrown onto the ground, probably earning some painful scrapes on his arms.

Everyone cheered at the action.

"Yeah! Take Dragneel down!"

"Destroy him!"

"Teach him a lesson!"

Lucy reached up to touch her face and felt that it was wet. She was crying…

"And here's the finishing move…" Gajeel grinned, holding up his fist.

"St-stop!" the blonde called out, choking on her sobs. She ran out to drag Salmon Top away from Redfox, hugging his head tightly to her chest. "Stop it! You're all sick!"

Natsu lifted his hand to grab Lucy's arm, "Is that you Luce?"

"Yeah, it's me Natsu, it's me," the blonde cried pushing back a strand of his hair. Natsu smiled up at her, "Aren't you going to say something, Luce?"

The blonde smiled at him through her tears, "Yeah…don't call me that."

"Get out of the way, Blondie!" Gajeel growled, winding up his fists. Suddenly, Levy stepped into the circle, confronting Lucy.

"I've got this, Gajeel."

"Levy…"

"So you think that you can hang out with Erza and this jerk when my back is turned? Better think again, Lu-chan, because look at the power I have."

"Levy…?"

"Hold on," a commanding voice boomed, and people's heads turned to look Erza, "WHO was hanging out with WHOM?"

"You and Lucy."

"I never spent ANY time with that girl."

"But…I saw you at Blue Pegasus together!"

"Huh! I was merely just spying on those two spending time together!"

The crowd now looked at Lucy, eyes turning cold. The girls hissed, and made snide remarks. Boys snorted and gave them disgusted looks.

"You betrayed the elites, Lucy," Erza said icily. "How could you be friends with such a man?"

"But I thought you were friends with him as well!" Lucy cried, tears leaking down her face again.

"I never was," Erza said, "I was only ever associated with Jellal."

"And I was only associated with Laxus and Gajeel," Levy interjected. "Face it, Lu-chan, no girl or boy, besides those pitiful friends of his, has ever wanted to become friends with someone like Natsu Dragneel. You're a disgrace to Fairy Tail Girls' AND Fairy Tail Boys'."

"Lucy," Erza spoke up, "You are hereby expelled from the Fairy Tail Elite Union."

* * *

Everything was painful. His sight was blurred and it felt as if every inch of his body had been rubbed raw. His heart throbbed, too. He had done something horribly wrong. He should never have become friends with Lucy….because of him, she had lost all her friends. Maybe Hughes was right, maybe they WERE too different to be friends, or anything more…

Despite the pain he was experiencing, he got up, and was surprised to find himself in his very own room. His door opened a little and Wendy came in, jumping when she found that he was awake.

"Natsu-san…" Wendy gasped, almost dropping the tea she was holding. Slowly, she brought it over to him, and he took it gratefully. Without even hesitating at the scathing feeling of the water, he gulped down the drink, taking the burn of his tongue as punishment.

"Lucy-san is downstairs," Wendy said, taking back the cup and refilling it for him. For a moment, Natsu's heart leapt and he was forced to make it calm down.

"Is she?"

"Yes."

The salmon-haired boy fiddled with his sheets, thinking about what he had to do.

"She was very worried about you…"

"Tell her to go home."

Wendy looked surprised. "Why?"

"Just do it, Wendy. I-I don't want to see her right now."

The blue-haired little girl nodded and backed out of the room, shutting the door quietly. Once she was gone, Natsu held his head in his hands, torn by his thoughts. Lucy Heartfilia was probably going to hate him forever now…

* * *

Wendy Marvel felt terrible. When she had left her cousin's room, she had found Lucy-san right there, sobbing. The blue-haired girl had tried to comfort her, saying that Natsu-san was probably tired, but the blonde hadn't been willing to listen. She had run all the way down the stairs, grabbed her shoes and not even bothering to put them on, had rushed out the front door, leaving it ajar. Wendy had tried to run after her, but the cups and teapot she carried had slowed her down. The petite girl glanced at Natsu-san's room, feeling confused by her cousin's behavior. She shut the front door and left to go to the kitchen, where Uncle Metalicana was conversing with Uncle Igneel and Grandine.

* * *

Coco noticed something was wrong when Hughes came home, his head hanging down. Mary had left to go to the market down the street, and the brunette was in the midst of watching a comedy show. She watched as the purple-haired boy advanced slowly towards his room.

"What's wrong Hughes?" she asked, concerned. Did it have something to do with Lucy?

"I don't want to talk about it," he answered monotonously, and shut his room door.

Coco turned back to the T.V. set, staring at it blankly. When Mary returned home and found her in that state, she inquired, "What happened?"

Coco sighed, "Romance is hard, isn't it?"

* * *

Levy bit her lip. She was trying to concentrate on her homework, but no concentration would come. Her mind kept wandering to a certain blonde's hurt expression, tears streaming down her cheeks, eyebrows arranged to show the message that she had been betrayed. Levy McGarden cried out in misery, clutching her pillow.

"Lu-chan…"

* * *

Erza Scarlet stood at her bedroom window. Her lights had been turned off, and she stared down at the city view spread out before her. A certain blonde was unsettling her emotions. For the first time that year, Erza was crying. She stumbled back to sit upon her bed, holding her head in her hands.

"I'm sorry, Lucy…"

Lucy was heartbroken. For the first time in her life, she was experiencing this feeling called "love". And for her to realize it just as she was rejected….she sobbed into her pillow again.

"LHGFRT is stupid," she whispered, and pressed her face against her mattress.

* * *

From the darkness of Fairy Tail Boys' headmaster's office, the principal of Fairy Tail Girls' emerged.

"Poluchka," Makarov nodded in greeting. The pink-haired woman nodded at him, and said, "You heard about what's happening between my school's Lucy Heartfilia and your school's Natsu Dragneel haven't you?"

"Yes."

"Shall we notify their parents?"

"No. I should very like to see how those two youngsters who are supposed to be enemies play this out. That'll be a bit hard if Jude Heartfilia gets involved in this."

"Makarov…don't you think you've seen enough thrillers now that you're at this old age?"

Makarov Dreyar grinned impishly, "Hah…not really."

* * *

**I'm sorry if I made Levy and Erza too mean in this chapter...And I'm also sorry if you don't like all the drama! But please continue to read my story and tell me what you think! :) Thanks!**


	8. Chapter 8: Sidestory 1

**Chapter 8: Side Story: How Juvia Fell for Gray**

It had been a normal day for the light blue-haired girl. She had woken up, drunken a gallon of water, and gone to school. She had talked to Gajeel and Totomaru. She had turned in her homework and talked to all her friends. Then she had gone home.

Well, kind of.

She was about to head home when she saw a sign on Blue Pegasus Café. There was a sale on fizzy water, and being someone who loved water, she couldn't resist! So, repositioning her backpack and dusting off her skirt, she had entered the café happily. Juvia purchased a dozen of the water bottles and had lugged them off. She had no place to put them in since her backpack was full of homework and her P.E. sports bag was stuffed with her gym clothes, so she tried to handle all of them in her arms.

And that was when all the snide remarks had been made. People looked at her, and giggled; elderly people stared at her and gasped, and couples called her weird. At one point, she was passing through the park to reach her house when a middle-aged man bumped into her. Juvia recognized him as Jose, the hot dog cart owner. And he was extremely rude.

The girl dropped all of her bottles and Jose only looked disgustedly at her as she tried to pick them up.

"Why'd you buy so many?" he snorted. Juvia was close to crying when a voice shouted out, "Oi! Why don't you quit with the questions and just help her?"

She looked up, and there stood the most sparkly, handsome boy she had ever seen. His eyes glistened and his arms were well-toned, and his hair was a beautiful black. He glanced down at her, exuding sparkles and glitter.

"Hey, are you alright?" he asked and held out his hand towards her.

She stared up at him in awe. "What's your name?"

"Mine? Gray. Gray Fullbuster."

The girl jumped up and grabbed his hands, "Gray-sama! You are the destined one for Juvia!"

For some reason, he turned pale at her reaction and backed away slowly.

"Gray-sama…"

He stumbled back some more, cursing as he did so, which made her heart melt.

"I'm glad to see you're okay and everything…and uh, bye!"

He ran off in a hurry, leaving Juvia swooning in the park. She giggled.

"Gray-sama is so shy! He probably loves Juvia too!"

She skipped the rest of the way home.

* * *

**I hope you liked this side story. I wanted to include this because I felt like everything was getting very serious...Please tell me what you think! Thank you! \(^^)/**


	9. Chapter 9: Bonds

_**Hello you guys! I love you guys so much for reviewing and saying you love my stories! *sniff sniff* I cry with joy! Anyways, I'm so very sorry for not updating Fairy Tail's Strongest or Love Square Boy yet; I kind of have a writer's block on those ones…but I hope you will keep on reading my stories! Please review! Thanks for all of you who said "I love your story!" It encourages me.**_

* * *

**Chapter 9: Bonds **

If Lucy could manage to go to school today without incident, that'd be one heck of a miracle. But in truth, something happened right off the bat. Hughes had been waiting for her at the front of the gate, hands in pockets, and looking somewhat crestfallen. The blonde's eyes had been red from crying, and she had done everything she could to get them to look normal. As she approached her childhood friend, she could already feel the weight of the day pressing onto her shoulders. She gave a weak smile to Hughes who gave one in return. The pitiful grin he plastered onto his face didn't reach his eyes, and the blonde wondered what could have happened to the happy-go-lucky boy. The words "happy-go-lucky" suddenly made her think of the color salmon, and with it came the face of another boy, and she bit her lip to hold back her tears. Through all of this, her childhood friend was looking at her intensely, his startling yellow eyes not wavering. Finally, he sighed and started in the direction of Fairy Tail Girls, with Lucy closely behind him. Only silence was exchanged between them, and the blonde tightened her grip on her bag in anxiety. Why wasn't he saying anything?

"Lucy…"

His sudden voice startled her, making her stumble a little. He turned around to catch her, and as soon as he made sure she was stable, he let go. Remaining quiet, the blonde mentally urged him to go on.

"I've been like, you know, thinking…about, you know, like, yesterday…."

Yesterday? A lot of things had happened yesterday. Natsu had been beaten up, she had dragged him home while he had been unconscious, and she had witnessed him saying that he didn't want to see her. But that had nothing to do with Hughes, did it? She thought back some more. She had had lunch with him, and he had…he had what? Oh, gosh. That was it. He had fallen on top of her. But the blonde didn't find this particularly troubling; he had tripped over her tons of times when they were little due to his carelessness. Unless something had changed these few years? She snapped back to reality, realizing that he was looking right in her face.

"Lucy, I was about to say it yesterday…but I never got the chance to."

The blonde stepped back a bit; she knew what was coming next…she knew…

"Lucy, I…I-!"

The blonde covered her ears, and screamed, "Stop!"

Roughly, he grabbed her hands, and forced her to look at him. "I can't…"

"No Hughes, please…please…don't…" she sobbed and Hughes's face filled with pain. But the blonde couldn't help it. She was already mixed up in her failed emotions as it was.

"Lucy…I love you!"

Silence ensued, and she just stood there, her arms entangled with Hughes. Then, she pulled free, tears streaming down her cheeks. She wiped them away with her arm, and sniffled. The blonde looked at her childhood friend, and felt her heart ache uncontrollably. She didn't want to hurt him, but she couldn't pretend to like him either.

"I, towards you, Hughes, I…"

The purple-haired boy sighed heavily, crouching down to put his head in his hands. Then he looked up at her, giving her an optimistic smile. "I already know."

"Then why…?"

"Because sometimes in romance, you have to get yourself across."

"You have to get yourself across?"

Hughes nodded, and stood up, smiling. "And that means you can't give up this love, miss!"

Lucy blushed, turning away from him and walking. He ran to catch up to her, humming to himself.

"What are you talking about?" she muttered finally, and her childhood friend turned to look at her.

"Excuse me?"

"I don't harbor those kinds of feelings towards anyone."

"Like yeah, sure, whoa, sure you don't."

They rounded the corner and arrived at the front gate of the school. Hughes patted her back. "Keep it up, Lucy. The bonds of love aren't easily broken, especially for someone as stubborn as you."

The blonde watched as he strutted away, then entered the school.

* * *

The purple-haired boy watched as a leaf fell to the ground. It was finally getting to be autumn, and the weather was staring to cool. As he walked away from his first love, he thought his face felt wet. Hughes lifted his hand to touch his cheek, and brought it back to show him the traces of tears.

"Darn it," he said as more streamed out of his eyes, "Darn it, darn it, darn it, darn it!"

He walked like that all the way home, with his arm rubbing against his face.

* * *

"Natsu, ever since the extravaganza yesterday, everyone's been talking about you!" Loke Celeste scolded his salmon-haired friend. He was looking out the window, completely in a daze. "Oi, idiot, are you even listening?"

He turned around to look at the orange-haired boy, and revealed dark circles around his eyes. His skin was as pale as milk and he looked like a mess. In fact, the shirt he was wearing wasn't even the uniform's but a pajama top.

"You look pretty messed up," Gray commented as he set his things on his desk. The salmon-haired boy didn't even bother to retort to the black-haired one. He just turned back to the window, resting his head on his hand.

"Hey, you guys?" he suddenly said.

"What?"

"I don't like Lisanna, do I?"

"Well, I guess…Natsu."

The salmon-haired boy groaned and collapsed onto the desk. For a moment as Loke looked out the window, he thought he saw a blonde head…and then the teacher came in and flicked down the blinds.

* * *

As she had expected, she was shunned by everyone. Girls glared at her when they thought her back was turned and whispered about her when she wasn't looking. But the blonde was occupied about something else as she made her way from class to class. It was what Hughes had said before, that the bonds of love could not be easily broken. It was that word. _Bonds. _It had a familiar ring to it that she could not understand.

She looked it up in the dictionary at English class (typical Lucy), flipped through her textbooks, and looked back at her notes. All she found were things about mitosis, Newton's third law, and how to dissect a worm. She also found things concerning how Fiore was found and how Magnolia had come to its original state now (something about the King of Crocus and his beautiful daughter Hisui E. Fiore). But nothing about bonds (at least bonds that didn't have to do with chemicals and things like that). It was still bugging her at lunch, as she ate her grilled cheese sandwich on the roof, chewing slowly and decisively. The subject took so much of her thoughts that she had completely forgotten about Natsu.

"Bonds…" she whispered. Slowly, she let her gaze land on Fairy Tail Boys'. Legend had it that Mavis was actually the one who had founded both schools, but the woman was so young looking and childish, Lucy wasn't sure how to believe that. But the big guide and rulebook that came with the school's entrance was something that Mavis Vermillion would certainly issue…wait…guidebook? The blonde sat up straight, the thought suddenly hitting her. Quickly, she did something that Ms. Supetto would have screamed, fussed, and thrown a huge tantrum over, the blonde stuffed her sandwich into her mouth and gulped her milk down in one whole setting. Immediately after finishing, she stood up and raced down the stairs, threw her garbage into the trash can, and ran off to the library.

Fairy Tail Girls' library was a quiet, undisturbed place, but hardly anyone ever went there. Now, as she crossed the library's floor and passed Aries, the girl (a student) who managed the library, nobody occupied the whole space. All the shelves were neatly organized and lined up and the blonde hurriedly went to the place that read SCHOOL'S HISTORY. Hurrying through the rows, she finally spotted what she had been looking for. FAIRY TAIL ACADEMY'S GUIDEBOOK ON THE NEWCOMER'S ENTRANCE.

A very lengthy name for a very lengthy booklet. At least, it had been a booklet when it had been sent in the mail to her. Now it was a hardcover bound actual book, dusty from rare readings. As Lucy opened it, the cover popped and cracked, as if it had not been flipped over for a hundred years (although from surveying the yellowed and bookworm-eaten pages, one might think it was plausible for it to have survived several centuries). The blonde flipped tons of pages to the back where the index was located. She ran her finger down the long list, and tapped her finger on the desired title. FAIRY TAIL'S PLEDGE TO THE SCHOOL'S STUDENTS – OUR FAMILY PG. 1187. Shrugging off her vertigo from looking at how many pages the book had (about 990 less than the booklet she had received in the mail), Lucy flipped the book to the page she wanted.

The title was exactly that of the index's, except there was a small inscription underneath.

_This version of the pledge is slightly different than that of the booklet's. This was written by the founder of the schools herself, her honorable Miss Mavis Vermillion._

_ FAIRY TAIL'S PLEDGE TO YOU- OUR NAKAMA_

_ As long as you attend this school, we survey you as a family member would view you. We will not leave you alone in the dusk of night or the twinge of dawn if you are ever in trouble. To sacrifice anything we can, except the life or safety of another, to give you what we need, is our obligation. Here, at Fairy Tail, we will treasure your accompaniment, whether you are filled to the brim with riches or own nothing but a ragged scarf. We will serve as a family to you, a precious loved one, and we hope you will do the same for us. For as long as Fairy Tail stands, they will always put their Nakama first. As the fifth headmaster, Gildarts, once said, "But the thing is, to our guild, there's nothin' more important than the lives of our friends. Even if the fate of the world is in balance..."_

_ I, Mavis Vermillion and my following successors and their students, believe that our school is a guild, a thing that unites people together, and believe our bonds, our kizuna, will bring us through any ordeal. The power of and bond of feelings is amazing, and will reach someone, no matter how far away they are. The bond in this school, the bond throughout our two schools, I hope they will be seen…and preserved for the future generation, who will one day say as young ones, "Mama, Papa, I want to join Fairy Tail!"_

_ Bonds , friends, feelings, the power of emotions…_

_ …my friends, that is what Fairy Tail is!_

_-Mavis Vermillion_

Lucy looked up, noticing the tears at the corners of her eyes, and brushed them away. Something had to be done now, and she would do anything to make it happen.

* * *

It was weird. He had been attending the class after lunch when the intercom above their heads started crackling and Lucy's voice came out of it. (It's a well known fact that the intercoms of the two schools are connected.)

"Um, please, report now to the auditorium of Fairy Tail Girls' please. This is an emergency. I repeat: Go now! I was ordered by Poluchka and Mavis Vermillion to do this myself."

Everyone stirred, but the teachers stopped them, convinced it was some sort of prank, but the intercom crackled once more.

"You heard her…go now." It was none other than Mavis herself and hearing the sound of her cute voice, teachers scurried to collect their students and file them towards Fairy Tail Girls'. Natsu was anxious. What could Lucy be planning for them? Was she going to embarrass him in front of the two schools to show her hatred for him?

Everyone was now crowded inside, and everyone clicked their tongues disapprovingly when they saw a blonde on the stage. It was Lucy, leaning on the podium and looking nervous. When she was sure everyone was inside, she spoke into the microphone, catching everyone's attention immediately.

"Uh, hello, everyone. I'm Lucy Heartfilia…"

Some boos erupted out of the crowd.

"…I know, I know, you've heard some…things about me, about Natsu Dragneel, as well. And I know I've let down some friends as well," she looked up, obviously searching for Levy and Erza, "But I'm here to tell you all something. And that is…bonds."

Natsu stared at her intently as she gripped the podium.

"I went to the library during lunch and found the guidebook. This morning, my friend told me something important…" the blonde was gaining more confidence now, straightening her back and looking out at the crowd with an air of determination, "and that was, the bonds of love cannot be easily broken. Hearing the word 'bond', I was immediately intrigued; it pricked my memory for some reason, but I couldn't put a finger on it. As a result, at lunch, I was pondering about this subject, when in the midst of my thoughts, my mind clicked. I raced down to the library and found this…"

Lucy gestured to a pink-haired, timid-looking girl, who brought forth a gargantuan book, and thumped it down on the podium. The blonde nodded to her in thanks and opened it up.

"I should like to read this to you…the pledge of Fairy Tail…"

And she started off. It was apparent that her words had magically entranced everybody, and they were hooked on her words. Some people summoned tears to their eyes at Mavis's words, and others smiled gently. The flow of magic ended as Lucy said the last words carefully, "…my friends, that is what Fairy Tail is…"

Those chocolate brown eyes looked up intensely, seeming to make eye contact with everybody in the room.

"So what happened to those bonds?" People frowned. "What happened to that family? What happened to these two schools that are supposedly close and bonded by the power of feelings and emotions? Because, I speak this with truth and honesty, I see none of these feelings of friendship between Fairy Tail Girls' and Fairy Tail Boys'. Today, prejudice and differences, rumors and false legends have overtaken our minds, forcing us to forget these melodious words! False hatred has built up over nothing! We have lost these significant bonds, these kizuna, over something so small and pathetic that I feel ashamed! As we are now, no child will ever want to enter this school willingly! I have seen people suffering over the divisions of our academies. My friend who was almost forcefully kissed and could not be saved by my other companion because she was interlocked in another story, my nakama who was beaten thanks to the misunderstandings of these schools, and this same beaten up, broken person, has never gotten to truly express his true self due to the ugly stories spread about him. Because of this, I believe he has had to live up to these stories. And..and I do not speak up for Natsu simply because you think we have some sort of relationship! I speak of it because I am saddened that our schools have lost this beautiful bond between ourselves over something so SILLY as delinquents and goody-two-shoes!

"A family accepts one other as they are, no matter how flawed the other is, because…because that's what love is! The power of emotions should overlook these simple-minded acts of dividing! I want no one else to suffer as my friends did over these so-called differences!"

Lucy was crying. "I want our bonds back! I want…want…I want the TRUE Fairy Tail back!"

Her shrill voice echoed throughout the auditorium and nothing but silence followed as she wept. Then, claps rang out. Every person's heads turned to the small little old man who was slapping his hands together. He turned to Mavis, smiling meaningfully.

"Finally, eh, First? Somebody gets the true meaning of these two schools…"

"Indeed…"

Makarov Dreyar ascended the steps up to the stage and jumped onto the podium, making Lucy stumble back confusedly.

"Long ago," he said, "our two schools were just one. But alas, a group of troublemakers passed through, none other than my son Ivan and his corrupt friends, and caused harm to many more students. The females were harmed the worse and the most of the males had joined in with Ivan. Parents petitioned, ordering us to separate our schools by gender. We didn't have enough strength to protest, and we conceded. Our bonds were broken, the boys turned into delinquents, and girls began to loathe them. For over thirty years, no person has even bothered to try reading our real pledge. We could never issue it into our booklets…I suspect a member of Ivan's gang has tampered with our printing process. We thought it pointless to bring it up to you students ourselves…it'd teach you nothing."

Makarov turned to grin at Lucy. "Thank you my dear, for bringing this up."

As he spoke, murmurs began to ripple through the crowd, girls glancing anxiously at boys they knew, and the Boys' headmaster raised his hands.

"So? What are you waiting for? Let us rejoice in this rebirth of our newly revived bonds!"

A cheer erupted and slowly, slowly, the girls began to mingle with the boys. Lucy sat trembling upon the ground. Then she was enveloped in a large hug. All she could see was scarlet and blue, but her eyes filled up with tears.

"I'm sorry for being so blind," Erza whispered.

"Lu-chan! Lu-chan! I'm sorry, so sorry!"

The scarlet-haired girl stood up, bringing up the blonde with her, "Cheers for the girl who started this all!"

The blonde almost broke down again as people whistled and whooped, shouting out thanks and props.

"Lucy…" Natsu whispered, panting from his run up to the stage, and the blonde smiled at him. Through all of this, she had been wondering how the boy would react to her actions.

"Natsu…"

He ran up to hug her and she yelped. Suddenly, her lips felt warm as the boy's pressed against them.

After a few seconds, he pulled back, and whispered, "I love you, Lucy…"

The blonde blushed, casting her eyes downward. "Me too…."

The crowd before them cheered the new couple, making them pull away from each other in embarrassment.

"Uh, Natsu?" Lucy asked shyly.

"What?"

"Why are you wearing your pajama shirt?"

"Uh…."

* * *

From the back of the auditorium, a purple-haired girl standing next to a brunette asked a purple-haired boy, "Are you totally alright?"'

He shrugged without a care in the world, "It was to be expected. I'm just glad she did something with my advice."

"I didn't know you could totally say cheesy stuff like that."

"Like, whoa, SHUT UP…"

* * *

**Hope you liked this chapter! I hope it wasn't too sudden! Please leave reviews and tell me what you think! But wait...this story isn't over yet!? Sure, NaLu has happened, but a lot more things are waiting in store for this newly found (adorable, my most favorite) couple! Jealousy, rival, and a kiss that shouldn't go to Lucy!? **


	10. Chapter 10: New Faces

**I'm really glad you all liked the last chapter and didn't think it was too sudden! **

_**Amyskywalker**_**, what would the fun be without Lisanna going crazy jealous? **

_**Rina Nina**_**, Thank you! I try my best to update as soon as I can!**

_**Cat Goliath**_**, Mavis was the first headmaster of the both schools (when they were once one school) and Poluchka is the current one (now that the schools are separated). Makarov is the current headmaster of the boys' school. Thanks! I tried to make Hughes's scene as heartbreaking as possible…and touching!**

**I really wish I could reply to all your reviews, but I'm sure those of you reading my note want the story to start… I'm sorry I ramble so much…^ (Thank you to those constant reviewers – **_**Novi Eucliffe, Ariri Dragneel, GoldenRoseTanya, Rina Nina, me ga mawaru, amyskywalker, dog's paw burning in ash, and more!)**_

**Chapter 10: New Faces**

"Bye Lucy," Hughes said as he hugged her. Natsu stood to the side, observing their last goodbyes carefully; he absolutely wanted no funny business, or so he said. Mary was next to envelope her in her arms, and Coco nearly suffocated the blonde.

"Bye, you guys, come back soon, alright?" Lucy sniffed, determined not to cry. Her three childhood friends smiled, exchanged a few words with her, and slowly walked to the terminal.

Hughes turned back suddenly, "Hey, Salmon Breath!"

Natsu looked up, annoyed.

"Don't make her cry, got it?"

Salmon Top rolled his eyes, crossing his arms, and yelled back, "Got it!"

Once they were gone, Lucy turned to her boyfriend. Yes, boyfriend. For a few days now, she could hardly believe it herself. Now as she observed him pouting, she was definitely sure that she was dating him.

"You didn't have to come, you know."

** "**Well, yeah, but," Natsu said, and scratched his head, "my friend Reedus is dropping off Wendy's cat and my cat."

"You have a cat?" Lucy asked him incredulously. Salom Top hardly looked like one to properly take care of an animal, and the look she gave him said it all.

"YES, I have a cat, his name's Happy, and," the salmon haired boy passed for a moment, then spoke in a hurry, "Lisanna and I found him." Then on a brighter note, "He's blue."

"You're kidding."

"No, seriously, he is. He's in love with Wendy's cat, Carla."

The blonde smiled gently at the information he was giving her. Abruptly, he whirled around and started to walk briskly. Carefully, he led her through the maze of people. Longingly, she looked at his hand; they had not tried holding hands yet, and the blonde was hit in the face by a scarf of a passerby as she thought about this. She struggled to stay beside Natsu and they were so close that her hand kept on hitting his.

Natsu turned to look at her, "You hand keeps on bumping into mine."

"Is it really?"

Salmon Top did the unexpected and grabbed her hand; mischievously, he smiled, "I guess I'll have to hold onto it then."

Lucy blushed, and her face felt as hot as a stove. Finally they reached a terminal, where a very noticeable man with red hair, and a painting set was just coming out. He was thin and in his other hand were two pet carriers; it was apparent that he was having trouble holding onto them as he stumbled and juggled the items between both hands.

"Reedus!" Natsu called and the skinny man made his way towards him. His hand slipped out of Lucy's as he exchanged back pats with the old friend. Gently, the man named Reedus gave over one of the two pet carriers over to Salmon Top, careful to not drop his painting supplies. Then, politely, he tipped his hat to Lucy, "Hello."

He walked away.

"Isn't he going to stay with you?" the blonde asked in confusion, pointing to the departing back of the man.

"Yep."

"Then why-?"

"I told him I was going to be busy," Natsu answered setting down his carrier. He was examining the latch on the gate, trying to figure out how to open it.

"Busy? Doing what?"

Salmon Top sighed as if the blonde was completely hopeless, then looked up at her with his face slightly red. "Today's going to be a date, of course…me and you."

Lucy blushed severely, sure that she was going to explode like a volcano. "Oh."

"Anyways, this is Happy." He said, mumbling slightly and a blue cat came crawling out. He sported a little green backpack on his back and upon seeing Natsu, leapt on him, mewing happily. The blonde automatically thought it was cute and she crouched over to pet him. But the little animal turned away arrogantly at her request to stroke it.

"Heh, heh," Natsu laughed nervously, "He does that."

Lucy rolled her eyes and brought out a bag of dried fish; Happy immediately accepted her.

"Why do you have dried fish?"

"Why not?"

* * *

A short distance away, a brown cat hissed at the sight of a blue one. This cat wore a blue vest and was looking irritated. Next to him on the bench they were sitting on was a girl cat, green and dressed in a frog's costume. She sat there happily while her friend glared at the blue he-cat several yards away from him. Suddenly, a face blocked his view. The face's eyes were blue, his hair was blonde, and he had a scar just above his right eye, running diagonally. He wore a vest over his white t-shirt and dark blue skinny jeans. He was staring right into Lector's face while pocketing his passport. On the passport, in neatly typed letters was STING EUCLIFFE.

Next to him stood an impassive man dressed in a black sweatshirt and jeans; his eye color was a shocking red, a natural color that he had been born with. His hair was black and his bangs were brushed to the right side, hiding his right eye. It was messy, as if he had not bothered to comb it. He too, was putting away his passport, which read in typed, capitalized letters ROGUE CHENEY. The black-haired man, apparently named Rogue, bent down to pick up the green cat.

"We're here, Frosch," he said to the happy little animal, who was rubbing its soft little head against his cheek.

"So this is Fiore, huh?" Sting asked, rubbing his chin, and petting Lector. The brown mammal purred, and the blonde boy laughed. Both guys were about sixteen, lean, and muscular. Sting was more well-toned than Rogue was; in fact, both of them were quite different, but for as long as they could remember, the two partners had been called "twins".

Lector yawned and scratched at Sting's hand, who stood up, and scratched his head a bit. "Lisanna's supposed to have been here, by now."

"Are you really going to do this?" Rogue asked emotionlessly, setting Frosch down on the bench again. Then, he turned around to stare at his friend with his red, intense eyes.

"Yeah," Sting said, "It could be fun. You want to try to?"

"Not interested. Sting, you might just get yourself into a whole lot of trouble."

"Like what?"

"What if you accidently fall for her?"

"Naw," Sting replied, "fall for Lisanna? Why, do you like her or somethin'?"

"Not interested."

"Then leave me alone."

Rogue kneeled down to pet his cat again before he sighed. Once Sting made up his mind, there was no use in changing it.

"Sting! Rogue!" a white haired girl called. She was only standing ten feet away from them, but had been predisposed to shouting out to them. She looked to her right, worriedly. The blue cat from before was not there anymore. Sighing in relief, she smiled brightly to both boys as they approached her. Lisanna had tried her best to look cute, but casual; her solution had been a pink tank top and bright blue shorts.

"Hey," the blonde boy greeted with no formality whatsoever.

Lisanna grinned at him. Swiftly, she slipped her arm through his, signaling for him to start walking. Lector got up, stretched, and followed. Behind them, Rogue picked up Frosch and observed the two; their plan was so obvious, he doubted it would even work on Natsu Dragneel. But, oh well, maybe he was an idiot?

* * *

"Here you go," Natsu said, handing over one of the two melting ice cream cones he had been holding. The blonde, seated upon a bench, took it without much enthusiasm; hurriedly, she licked the dripping rolls of the sweet frozen dairy before they fell onto her clothes. The two of them were in the park, attempting to have a pleasant date outdoors.

"What took you so long?" she asked Salmon Top, nibbling on the cone. The salmon-haired boy thought for a moment, letting his ice cream make a mess all over his hand. He took a seat.

"I got distracted by some stray dogs."

Happy mewed discontentedly at his confession, apparently not pleased that his partner should be chasing after dogs when his back was turned. The blue cat, who was on the ground, jumped up onto the bench, and started to lick his owner's hands. Natsu smiled gently, and stuck out his palm to let him do so. Lucy observed this for a few seconds before leaning back against her seat and drinking her soupy dessert. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something familiar looking and tilted her head to get a better look. What she saw made her gasp, and Natsu looked up instantly, concerned.

"What?"

Without uttering a word, Lucy pulled him down and behind the bench so that they were hidden from view. Happy followed, determined to clean up Salmon Top's hands completely. In front of them, a white haired girl walked into view, clinging onto a blonde guy. A brown cat dressed in an open blue vest trotted after them, lifting its paws high into the air, as if it owned the whole place. In addition, a black-haired boy trailed after them, cradling a cat dressed up in a pink frog costume in his arms (really, how weird could this place's cats get?).

"Lisanna…" Lucy whispered, but she couldn't figure out who the guy next to her was. Besides being blonde, he had blue eyes and a scar above his right one. The boy following them was dressed in all black and had red eyes – just like Gajeel.

Immediately, the blonde felt uneasy; if Lisanna was caught up in a relationship, what would she do if Natsu was jealous? Carefully, she looked at the boy from the corner of her eyes, nervous on how he had reacted. To her surprise, he was looking her, appearing rather crestfallen and disappointed. Lucy felt her heart sink a little. He was bothered by this after all. But, the salmon-haired boy sighed sorrowfully, stunning her a bit.

"You think I still have feelings for her, don't you?" he asked, resting his head on his shoulder; he was in a crouching position, so that his feet were the only anatomical area of his body holding him up.

The blonde averted her gaze as he hit the bulls-eye. Salmon Top sighed heavily again, rocked himself backwards, and sat on his rear end; Lucy almost fell as he grabbed her hands and forced her to look at him.

"Lucy, I love you…sure, I HAVE liked Lisanna for the longest time, and I'm uneasy about her dating another guy, but without a doubt, the one I have feelings for is you." As he said the words, his face reddened, turning several shades of red. Lucy smiled gently, her ears feeling abnormally fifty degrees hotter.

"Oh Salmon Top, you are SO cheesy."

He gave her a light kiss on the cheek. "Only because you make me be that way."

Lucy laughed in slight embarrassment, and didn't know how to react next. Happy had the answer. He began to scratch at her thigh, his pitiful little eyes begging for more dried fish.

"I'll do get some more fish."

"Wait, you have MORE?"

"Have a problem with that Salmon Top?"

"Nope, none at all."

* * *

Unknown to them, Lisanna was surveying the whole thing from the side of the park, hidden from view. She scowled deeply, not pleased at all. Lucy...whatever her last name was…that sneaky little brat…

Next to her, Sting had fallen unusually quiet. Curiously, she looked up at him. His breathing had gone shallow and his eyes sparkled. "She's really pretty, isn't she?"

The white-haired girl kicked him in the shins. He muffled his cry of pain, and peered at her with a contemptuous gaze.

"You're supposed to be saying I'M beautiful, got it, DARLING?"

Sighing (this day had been rather full of those), the blonde boy slipped his hand into hers, and looked the other way, neither embarrassed nor nervous. He had been completely captivated by that blonde girl. For a moment, he had seen her smile…and then that stupid salmon dude blocked his way. Sting Eucliffe pouted.

Lisanna Strauss smiled. This would be the best plan yet…to make Natsu hers…

* * *

**Sorry this chapter was so short! I'll try to make the next one LONGER! I hope you enjoyed this one though! **


	11. Chapter 11: Encounter

**Oh my goodness! I've finally reached 100 reviews! My goal! And it's all thanks to you guys who read my stories! Thank you so very much!~ You guys make me cry in joy!**

**Oh and I know it's really late in the story for this but...**

**Natsu: InLoveWithFairyTail doesn't own Fairy Tail, ya know!? Only the strongest does! Gray, where are you!? Fight me!**

**I should have probably asked Lucy to do the disclaimer huh?**

* * *

**Chapter 11: Encounter**

Lucy felt flustered as she packed up her things to leave school. Today, Natsu couldn't take her home because he had somehow earned himself a detention. He had told her quite sadly this morning; it was apparent that he had been depressed and he had looked up at her sharply.

"Don't go and cheat on me, okay?" he had said. Lucy slapped him upside the head, annoyed.

"Shut up, Salmon Top! Can't you trust me a little?"

The salmon-haired boy had looked up, pouting. "Too many people could have their eyes on you."

As the blonde thought about his statement now, she blushed. That wasn't true; it had only been one other person - Hughes. Brushing this thought away, she bunched up all her things, slammed them into her bag, and exited the classroom. On her way out, people nodded to her in farewell, and turned back to their friends, laughing raucously. First years said bye to her, adding 'senpai' to the end of her last name politely; they dipped their heads forward slightly, in a sort of bow. The blonde smiled brightly at them, gave a sharp wave and rushed out of the building. She had been feeling antsy all afternoon. Erza and Levy had agreed to meet at the Blue Pegasus Café, but since it would have taken too much time to wait for all them to group together after leaving class, they decided to head straight to the shop after the dismissal bell. Levy had looked a little hesitant about entering the atmosphere she simply found distasteful, and Erza had paled when she remembered Ichiya, but in the end, the both of them had conceded. They would go.

Lucy felt particularly happy today, and breathed in the fresh autumn air. Colors were turning red, gold, and orange, and crunched under your feet pleasantly. It was finally time to slip on a light jacket to protect yourself from that slight chill in the mornings and evenings. Almost skipping , the blonde entered the café, swinging her bag dangerously around. A couple sitting at a nearby table ducked as it swung over their heads; tea spilled all over the girl's lap, and she glared at Lucy. But the blonde was only faintly aware of the girl's boyfriend rushing over to mop up his girlfriend's skirt. In the back, right up against the wall and seated in a polished, vinyl, old-fashioned booth were Levy and Erza, sitting next to each other, and sipping different fruit flavored smoothies. They were exchanging a few words with each other. Even now, weeks later, the two of them found it awkward to talk to each other after the incident. The scarlet-haired girl, head bent forward, leaned back to flip back her hair, and spotted Lucy. She waved her over with a bright smile, and maybe just a hint of relief.

"Hi you guys," the blonde greeted when she sat down in the seat across from them. Levy gave her a toothy grin in response and Erza turned the corners of her lips up. Karen Lilica, one of the women who worked there part time, came up to ask what Lucy wanted. The blonde requested a mango smoothie and sat back, observing her friends amusedly.

"So what's happening with Natsu?" Levy asked, stirring her beverage with her straw. She asked it casually, not looking at Lucy.

At the inquiry, Lucy remembered Natsu's words at the park and blushed. "A lot."

The petite girl didn't look satisfied with that kind of answer, but remained quiet, drinking her smoothie again. At the same time Erza started speaking, Lucy's own drink arrived, and the girl took it happily.

"I'll have you know that you're an Elite again."

"That's good," Lucy said, and thought sorrowfully, Natsu would like this drink…if it were spicy as well as fruity. Her scarlet-haired friend peered at her, and the three of them resumed their little meeting. Levy informed that her relationship with Gajeel was going on strong while Erza assured them that Jellal was extremely sweet. Their long conversation gradually turned from paragraphs into sentences, then phrases, and then snippets. The dribble of chat had faded and subsided away, so the three of them decided to leave. Lucy paid for her portion and her friends did the same. Together, they walked outside, strode a few paces, and parted ways. The farewells were a bit awkward, and the blonde went away wondering when everything would become normal once again. She heard yells of children's cheering and laughing as she passed the park.

The blonde stopped to watch them, holding onto the straps of her bag tightly; if someone tried to rob her, she'd turn and give them a painful karate kick. She'd break out all the fighting skills she had learned. A little girl with light brown hair ran just in front of her, successfully catching a Frisbee. "I got it, Hiro!"

A boy with dark black hair went up to her, congratulating her. In a flash, though, he snatched the toy from her hands and ran away with it; the little girl screamed in dismay and chased after him, flailing her tiny fists in the air.

"Come back here Hiro!"

"Not until you agree to marry me!"

The blonde smiled in mild amusement. For little kids to be talking about such a far off thing as marriage was quite funny.

"They're really cheerful, huh?"

The blonde girl whirled around to face a blonde boy. He had blue eyes and a scar. His hands were shoved deep into his pockets, and he looked at her with a slight interest.

"Oh, you're Lisanna's new boyfriend."

His face fell. "Yeah, I guess I am."

On a brighter note, he swung around to offer her a handshake. "I'm Sting Eucliffe, nice to meet ya!"

Lucy took his hand with hesitation, and he gave a nice firm shake. Then, the boy let go, withdrawing his hand to his pocket again. "I'm Lucy Heartfilia."

"That's a pretty name."

"Thank you."

Sting rocked back and forth on his feet, whistling cheerfully. His blue eyes sparkled in the setting sunlight, and he stepped on a dry leaf on the ground so that it crackled loudly. Lucy grew uncomfortable in the silence, wishing for him to say something. She couldn't just leave suddenly; it would feel rude. A breeze picked up her hair and chilled the back of her neck; shivering slightly, she became impatient.

"Do you want to grab something to eat?" Sting asked suddenly, turning to face her. It caught her by surprise, and she spent some time trying to answer.

"Um, I…"

_Don't go and cheat on me, okay?_

"…can't. I can't."

The blonde boy inspected her face for a moment, and sighed. "I know what this is about. Your boyfriend Natsu Dragneel won't like it if you hang out with me."

He said Salmon Top's name with contempt, almost spitting it out onto the pavement in front of him. Lucy didn't like it, and almost told him off, then and there.

"Come on, only a small drink of tea? What do you say?"

Lucy fidgeted and after a lot of cajoling, she agreed reluctantly, trailing after the boy as he led her to a tea shop called Aye Sir! Tea & Coffee. As they entered the little business, a bell rang and aromas of sweet and bitter coffee hit their noses. Several people were seated at tables, and the low buzz of chatter circulated around the room. A maid with short ear-length purple hair and wide purple eyes dressed in cat ears and a clip-on tail bowed to them respectfully, "Welcome to Aye Sir! Tea & Coffee! I will lead you to your table."

As she turned, Lucy noticed a pair of tiny wings plastered to her uniform. Imprinted on both wings was AERA. The blonde stared in utter confusion. Upon seeing this, Sting whispered, "Aera is a type of flying magic. This café is really into those kinds of things. That and these fictional race of beings called Exceeds…who used that type of magic."

The blonde moved her head up and down slowly, letting all the information sink in. The maid, whose name tag Lucy could now make out as HINATA, gestured for them to sit down at a comfortable lavender-colored booth right next to the floor-to-ceiling windows the shop had at the front. On the windows were written Aye Sir! or Exceeds Equal Awesomeness! or a phrase written in something that looked suspiciously like runes.

"Aye, here is your menu. I recommend the couple of section of the menu. There are a lot of things there that you can share with each other," Hinata said, smiling.

Lucy stared at her and shook her hands frantically in front of her face. "Oh, no! It's not like that between him and me! I have a boyfriend! And…and, maybe we'll come here next time."

Hinata smiled, "Oh, I'm sorry for the mistake, aye! Please order whatever you want then!"

Heart pumping fast, the blonde ordered some green tea and a small bowl of noodles while Sting ordered a latte and a burger. Hinata bowed, issued a soft "Aye sir!" and retreated to a set of doors that most likely led to the kitchen. Lucy sat there, horribly aware of Sting looking right at her.

"Won't – won't Lisanna be upset if she finds you here with me?"

Sting Eucliffe snorted, leaning his head on his hand. "I doubt it."

That remark produced an uncomfortable silence which was finally broken when Hinata came back with their orders. She set a bowl of steaming noodles in front of Lucy, and set down a teapot and cup. Next, she slid off a plate containing a delicious-looking hamburger in front of the blonde boy, and gently put the latte in front of him. They thanked her politely and the maid walked off, going to meet the requests of other people. Lucy immediately began to eat her meal.

"I think it would reel in a lot of business if they said Meow-come or something."

The comment had come from Sting.

The blonde stared at him incredulously. Did this boy have a weird fetish for cheesy jokes? She set down her fork, and commenced her staring. Finally, he glanced up.

"What?"

"That has got to be the corniest thing I have ever heard."

"I like corny jokes. I think they're quite interesting, actually. Back in London, I had a few friends who knew some. I nearly spilt my sides cracking up at them all."

"You came from London?"

"Yep, I was born originally in Japan, but when I was two, my parents wanted to change venue, and so they decided to go to England. Rogue's parents also took an appeal to it, and left with us – with him along of course."

"Rogue?"

"Yeah. Rogue Cheney. He has black hair and wears, well, black most of the time."

For a moment, Lucy took some time to remember the red-eyed boy from the park the other day.

The blonde cocked her head sideways, peering at him. "Where are your parents now?"

"Rogue and I are exchange students, so our parents are back at home. We're going here to study in Sabertooth Advanced Elite Academy High for a while, then we're going back to London. "

"That's a mouthful. The name of your school, that is."

"I know, but our headmaster simply insists on being the best there is. So he came up with that tedious name."

Lucy slurped up the last noodle, and Sting, likewise, ate the last bite of his burger. He downed the latte in one whole setting, but the blonde girl took light sips of her scorching tea. Sting offered to pay for the whole meal, but Lucy persisted in dividing it up. She ended up contributing five dollars, but Lucy suspected Sting had taken the portion of the payment that cost more. They left a tip on the table – two dollars - and left. The blonde male politely pushed open the door for her and she passed through it, nodding her thanks. When they got out, Lucy almost had a heart attack. Natsu was standing right in front of her, dressed in a sweatshirt and shorts, looking absolutely furious.

"Lucy…" he panted. "I thought I saw you…what are you doing here?"

The question was directed at Sting, who smirked at him. Salmon Top pushed the blonde girl so that she stood behind him. He scowled at Sting with hate-filled onyx eyes. As fast as lightning, Natsu ran up to the guy and jabbed his finger in a surprised blonde boy's chest.

"Look…punk…Lucy's mine."

With that, Natsu hauled her away. By the time they had rounded the corner and were on the path to Lucy's house, Salmon Top turned on her.

"What were you doing with another guy?"

"Look, Natsu, we were just having a meal."

"But it was a guy!"

The blonde examined his face. It was flushed and filled to the brim with jealousy and hurt. He had not found it very amusing to find his girl talking and eating with another guy. Lucy began to feel guilty.

"What's with that?"

"What?" he asked gruffly.

"'Lucy's mine'? I'm not an object, you know."

Salmon Top looked up at her, then suddenly, unexpectedly, he pulled her into a hug. "Yeah…but you're my trophy."

Burying her face into the crook of his arm, she blushed. He smelled faintly of something spicy and something minty. An unusual combination of scents, but it worked perfectly for Natsu Dragneel.

"I'm sorry, Natsu," she said, her voice muffled by his arm.

"If I ever catch you with another guy, I'll beat them up right away."

Hidden from view, the blonde smiled, clutching onto his sweater sleeve. At last, he pulled away, and blushed slightly. "Listen…on Sunday…are you busy?"

He blurted out the last part in a rush, and the blonde cocked her head.

"No, I'm not."

"Then," he held out his hand, and hesitantly, Lucy interlocked her fingers with his, "what do you say we go on a date?"

Lucy scooted closer to him so that their shoulders were touching. They began to walk. "Okay."

It didn't matter to the blonde where the date was right now…all that was on her mind was complete happiness.

* * *

But Sting was absolutely not happy. As he walked home to the Sabertooth dorms Rogue and he were currently inhabiting, he adorned a deep scowl on his face. When he shut the door with a loud bang, Rogue knew that something had upset his roommate.

"What-?"

"Do NOT ask."

So Rogue didn't. The blonde retreated to his room, where he picked up a soda can and pulled at it until it tore into two pieces. He then crumpled it up, not caring about the cuts he was receiving from the action. Angrily, Sting threw the trash into the wastebasket, and flung himself down on his bed. Punching his pillow, he growled, "Natsu Dragneel…you are in for it."

* * *

**I hope you guys liked this chapter! :D Please review and tell me what you think of it! Next chapter is the fated date...but things don't seem to work out the way Lucy wants it to...(I had a lot of fun with the Aye Sir! Tea&Coffee...I know, random...)**


	12. Chapter 12: Not a Normal Date

**Hello you guys! Thank you for reviewing! I still can't believe I have reached one hundred reviews! Thank you for those constant reviewers out there! It really helps me to know what you guys think about the story!**

* * *

**Chapter 12: Not a Normal Date**

Natsu was early. When the blonde had come running to their meeting place (after convincing Ms. Supetto to cover for her if Jude asked any questions – when the maid had come upon Natsu, she had freaked out less than the blonde thought she would have), dressed in a skirt and tank top, he was already there, hands in pockets, and looking thoughtful. He adorned a red sports jacket, a white shirt, black skinny jeans, and black sneakers; his scarf wasn't wrapped around his neck, and he glimpsed at his watch before finally seeing her. His face automatically lit up at the sight of her, and he waved her over. Mentally preparing herself, Lucy walked over, waving weakly.

"Lucy!" he smiled and pulled her in to give her a quick kiss on her forehead. The blonde flushed at this action, and she knew from the swiftness of Salmon Top's turning around that his face was probably slightly red as well. The two of them had chosen the cliché for their date: that is, they were going to the amusement park. Natsu had made it very clear that he was going to pay for both of their tickets, and Lucy had finally conceded, though a bit reluctantly. Now as they stood at the ticket booth, the blonde asked him over and over if he was sure. At last, Salmon Top turned around with a slightly aggravated look.

"Blondie, this is a date, and you're my girlfriend; let me keep my pride as your guy, alright?"

As little kids and adults giggled at his statement, Lucy's face became hot and she stepped back, positively shriveling up with embarrassment. When the payment was done, Natsu turned around, reached for her hand, interlocked it with his, and pulled her towards the front entrance of the amusement park. As they went in, kids, families, and couples streamed in alongside them, all smiling and having a good time. But the blonde was too aware of Salmon Top's hands squeezing hers to even register the screaming toddler that nearly threw his applesauce at her. As soon as they had passed the entrance by five feet, the crowd diverged and Lucy could actually see the various rides sprawled out in front of her.

"I suppose you don't want to go on the thrill rides?" inquired Salmon Top, cocking an eyebrow. Next to him, the blonde stiffened.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she growled.

"Well, most girls don't like those kinds of attractions…"

"Natsu Dragneel, you're one kind of attraction I thought I'd never find myself going on a date with…and look at me now."

Salmon Top gave her a toothy grin, and pointed to a roller coaster ahead of them. As they watched, the many seats of the ride went dropping down the slope of the tracks, and air shattering screams were heard even from this far away.

Lucy gulped, paling at the sight.

"If you don't want to go, it's fine with me," Natsu shrugged nonchalantly, but it was clear he was rubbing his victory into her face.

"I never said that," Lucy said, and dragged him towards the ride.

It was a long wait, and the aftermath wasn't worth it. The blonde came out weak-kneed and queasy; she looked green and pale. Natsu held onto her carefully, leading her to a bench nearby.

"I told you that you didn't need to go," he said, sitting beside her. She was very aware of the arm he had wrapped around her shoulders.

"Oh, shut…up," she gulped, clenching onto the bench. Lucy felt horrible; it was their first date, and already, everything had not turned out how she had wanted it to.

"I'll go get you a drink, alright?" Natsu said, standing up.

"Wait, you're going to leave me here alone?"

Salmon Top grinned and leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. "I'll be back real soon, okay?"

Lucy watched him go, and sighed heavily. Out of spite, she glared at the ride that had forced her date to come crashing down and break into a million pieces. Many people went walking past them, and the blonde especially stared at the couples.

One of them was so lovey-dovey that the girl couldn't bear to stare at them. ("You're the cutest!" "No, you are!") One of them included a spiky red-haired guy, hanging onto a green-haired girl.

"How about we go on that one?" he asked, pointing to the roller coaster Lucy had just been on.

_Not if you want your date to fail._

"No way! I'm too scared!" the girl squealed, cuddling into the boy's arm. He laughed and hugged her closely to him.

_If only I were that cute, _Lucy thought, _I wouldn't be sitting here on this bench waiting for Natsu to buy me a drink right now._

As she stared at the ground, a pair of sunglasses dropped from somewhere. Confused, the blonde looked up, and saw a departing figure who was the most likely owner of the glasses. Quickly, Lucy picked them up and ran out to the stranger.

"Excuse me," she said, tapping the man on his shoulder. "You dropped these."

The male turned and Lucy stared at him in shock. In his red eyes, a flicker of recognition also lit up like a flame, but he stifled it immediately. The blonde had only learned his name the other day, but she remembered it quite well: Rogue Cheney.

"Aren't you-?"

"Lucy!"

The blonde turned back to catch Natsu waving at her, apparently upset about her leaving the bench. She signaled him to wait a moment and turned back to face Rogue, but he was nowhere in sight.

"Darn," she muttered, and whirled around to go back to her already-failing-date. Salmon Top stood with a worried expression as he handed over a cup of purified water. She took it gratefully and thanked him, not saying anything about what had just happened.

"What was that?"

Lucy gripped her cup tightly. "What was what?"

"Lucy…"

"I returned someone's sunglasses."

The salmon-haired boy sighed and sat down beside her, putting his hands behind his head. He seemed to be deep in thought. The blonde sipped at her water and squirmed in the uncomfortable silence.

"Hey Natsu…"

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry I had to ruin everything so early."

"Ruin?" he asked, puzzled. "We're just getting started. The day's not over yet, Lucy, so I don't want you apologizing about anything."

The blonde secretly smiled into her cup at his words. Surprisingly, Salmon Top could say the sweetest things sometimes. Natsu stood up abruptly, stretching his arms and cracking his knuckles.

"Do you feel better?"

"Yeah," Lucy replied, and threw her empty container into a recycling bin.

"Then let's go! I found a ride you might like…"

Natsu grabbed onto her hand and Lucy matched up her walking speed with his. Together, they wove through crowds, passed a refreshment stand where Lucy's water had probably come from, and approached a line of people. In big letters, the name of the ride read STELLAR STARS!

"That's so cheesy," Lucy said as Natsu stepped into the line.

"I think you'll like it. I've been here with Wendy, Grandine, and Igneel a couple of times."

The wait was long, and Lucy silently hoped that the attraction they ended up at didn't produce disappointing results like the first one had. Thirty minutes later, they stood in front of some sort of machine, which Lucy was ordered to board onto. Natsu slid in beside her and the park employee shut the door of the vehicle. Listening carefully to the instructions that were blaring overhead, the two of them snapped on their seatbelts and made sure that there was absolutely no danger of falling out. The blonde waited a few nerve-wracking minutes with her shoulder pressed against Salmon Top's as more customers went on the contraptions. Finally, a voice echoed throughout the room.

"Please do not at any time get up during the ride or stick out your arms and feet. Please enjoy Stellar Stars!"

And with that, Lucy blinked twice as the lights were turned off completely and she jerked back as the car began to move. It moved forward for a little while until she felt it being lifted up into the air by some sort of mechanism. Despite her knowledge of the many attractions found at an amusement park, she gasped and clutched onto Natsu's arm. She thought she heard him make a surprised and embarrassed grunt, but she shook it off as her own imagination. Besides, the things appearing before her took her whole attention.

In front of them, stars started to appear out of nowhere, creating distant nebulas and constellations in the complete darkness of the room. There was even a spot where a star seemed to be exploding somewhere far away. Galaxies could be seen, positioned so that they made it seem like you had to wait light-years before you actually reached them. It was all an illusion, yet everything seemed so real, even the gargantuan planets that loomed beside them as they toured their own solar system. Lucy felt as if she had traveled into outer space in the last minute.

"I remembered you saying that you liked stars," Natsu whispered. Lucy permitted a smile to be adorned on her face, and she knew he couldn't see it; she had mentioned her extreme love for the stars in an offhand way on a casual day in the park, and Lucy had thought that Salmon Top had not even been listening then.

Without hesitating, she hugged onto his arm, and whispered, "I really, really love you, Natsu."

As her head touched his chin, she could feel the heat radiating off his face – he was blushing.

"Yeah, I love you too. Really, really love you." As he said the words, he alternated between mumbling and speaking clearly.

Behind them, they heard someone whisper. "Ah, the refreshing spirit of young love."

The blonde felt herself blushing, but she didn't let go of Natsu's arm. The boy didn't need cologne to smell wonderful; his natural scent would have made any girl want to cling onto his arm for hours on end.

"This is my first time going on a serious date with a girl…" Salmon Top whispered.

Lucy suddenly remembered all the past "girlfriends" he had had. She punched his arm hard.

"Ow…" he muttered. "What was that for?"

"For being such a heartthrob."

"Wha-?"

The blonde had aimed the kiss for his nose, but in the darkness of the ride, she missed by an inch. Instead, her lips landed on something soft, and something that felt too much like her lips. Natsu muffled a surprised yell, and was still in too much shock to actually return the kiss. Lucy pulled back in embarrassment.

"You get bolder every day," Natsu whispered, and the blonde flushed.

Salmon Top kissed her cheek, then hugged her so that part of her head pressed against the side of his face. He let go, and for the rest of the ride, the two of them were too embarrassed to say much else. The vehicle finally emerged out of the blackness, and met light. Lucy and Natsu got off the ride and behind them, someone whistled.

"Way to go for the couple who was sitting in front of us!"

The blonde and salmon-haired boy rushed out of the building in a hurry.

In the evening, after a torrent of thrill rides, they decided to have a meal. The two of them entered a shop where the prices were low, but the food was proclaimed healthy and delicious. While Natsu ordered a bowl of ramen, Lucy ordered a bowl of pasta. The food took a while to get to their tables, but it proved that it had been freshly made.

"Did you have a good time today?" Natsu asked her, slurping his noodles up afterwards.

"Yes…" Lucy answered, taking a sip of her iced tea.

"My favorite part was the space ride," Natsu said, resting his head on his hand and smiling mischievously.

"I was aiming for your nose!" Lucy protested, shoveling a forkful of pasta into her mouth.

"Sure, sure."

They ate in silence for a few minutes before a horribly familiar voice called out to them. A chill traveled up Lucy's spine and she almost dropped her beverage onto the floor.

"Natsu! Is that you?"

They turned to see a white-haired girl running up to them, smiling. Beside her was a blonde boy, staring at Natsu with contempt.

"Lisanna…" Salmon Top said weakly, then with more irritation, "What's he doing here?"

"Oh, silly, Natsu. Can't you see we're on a date?"

Salmon Top growled, and pointed his chopsticks at Sting. "Yeah, well, just keep him away from my girlfriend."

"What…do you mean?" Lisanna's smile faltered.

Natsu averted his gaze, and looked worriedly at Lucy. "Sorry to tell you this, Lisanna, but he was having a meal with Lucy the other day…and he invited her."

The white-haired girl turned her gaze to Sting, and asked coldly, "Is this true?"

The blonde male rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, yeah, sort of."

Lisanna glared at him for moment, then turned to the blonde girl with a smile plastered on her face. "I'm sorry Lucy! This guy can be a flirt sometimes."

Lucy shivered. For some reason, there was some sort of malice behind that grin.

"Hey, why don't we all eat together…for a double date?" Lisanna inquired, eyes shining brightly. Apparently no answer was needed, because she ordered right away and started to eat along with them, laughing and smiling. Sting was sitting beside her, looking uneasy and stealing glimpses at Lucy, who noticed. It was apparent that the atmosphere was awkward, but the white-haired female took no notice. That, or she didn't even know about it.

When their meal was done, the white-haired girl didn't let them leave her clutches. "Why don't we go hang out together?"

Natsu exchanged a concerned glance with Lucy, but the blonde took a deep breath. "Yeah…okay."

The group that had started out as two had now turned into four. In addition, in the company of other people, Lucy felt too nervous to hold on to Natsu's hand freely. Her date had been destroyed in the most unexpected way she could have imagined; nothing could make a girl more miserable than to have your boyfriend's ex-crush join in with your outing. However, everything was going on smoothly as they boarded two more rides, and the blonde actually thought it would stay that way until…

* * *

Of course Lisanna hadn't shown up to the amusement park coincidentally. She had practically stalked Natsu just to find out where he was going on his date with Lucy. She had made her move decisively. To be honest, she hadn't thought Natsu would start his date so early in the morning and had panicked when Grandine had told her he had already left. She had rushed over to Sting's house, ordered him to throw on some clothes, and had almost sprained an ankle in getting to the amusement park.

Now as they got off their second ride, she set her plan into action. The white-haired girl squeezed in between the blonde female and her childhood friend, and as they approached a particularly packed in crowd, she pushed him with all her might. As he stumbled, she caught his wrist and dragged him through waves of people, dodging couples and going around refreshment stands, stores, shops, and rides until she was sure she had lost Sting and Lucy.

"What are you doing!?" he cried, wrenching himself free of her. He rubbed his wrist vaguely, and in the orange light of the sunset, his hair turned orange and pink. The sight made her heart warm.

"I have to get back," he muttered. "I can't just leave Lucy there with Sting!"

He actually turned back to go the other way, but Lisanna grabbed onto him quickly. Natsu looked abruptly back, his face asking her what-in-the-world-was-she-doing? The white-haired beauty even found _that _incredibly heart-wrenching.

"I doubt we'll find them right away," she said, wringing her hands together in order to appear cute and helpless. It had worked on him before. "I'm sure we'll find them at the front entrance at the end of the day, so why don't we hang out together like old times?"

Natsu stared at her incredulously. The question on his face this time: are you a completely crazy girl now? "No. I can't. Lucy's my top priority right now."

The white-haired girl slouched in disappointment, and Natsu was already rushing off to find the blonde. Grumpily, she stomped after him. How could he like one girl so much?

* * *

Lucy was surprised to find herself in the Ferris wheel. Sting had persuaded her to board it, and now the blonde was looking at the spread out view of the park. The one reason she had agreed to go was to find Natsu. Now, she desperately looked for a head of salmon-colored hair – that would have been easily noticeable – but in the light cast by the sunset, everyone's head was turned pink or red. Sting sat across from her, clasping his hands together.

"Um, Lucy…?"

She snapped around to stare at him.

"I thought we could use this time to get to know each other more."

"Get to know each other?"

"Yeah."

"Like what?"

"Well, I'm from London…"

"I already know that."

Sting shifted uneasily.

"Well, my hobbies are drawing…did I tell you my painting was submitted into the London's Youth Art Show?"

Lucy turned herself around to be polite. In reality, she was itching to look out the window once more. "Is that so?"

"Yeah, I was the runner up, but I could have won."

Lucy placed her hands in her lap, clutching the ends of her skirt in an impatient way. She stared intently at her lap, as if she had never seen anything more interesting than the wonders of her own thighs.

"What do you do in your free time?"

The blonde looked up, startled, "Oh, me? I write."

"That's cool. Have you gotten them published?"

"No."

"Oh."

A silence descended upon them, and Lucy felt compelled to break it despite herself.

"How did you meet Rogue?"

"Rogue? Our cats got lost."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, I guess that explains nothing. Well you see," the blonde boy leaned against his seat, obviously preparing for a story to be told, "Rogue has his cat Frosch, and I have my cat Lector. I met Lector when I was really small, and he took an instant liking to me. Although he's part of the reason I didn't I have much friends…he'd scratch and bite anyone that bullied me. Rogue was the quiet kid in our school, everyone stayed away from him because they thought that he was weird. I was caught in my own world – I guess you could say I was self-absorbed – and didn't pay much attention to him. His cat was strange, was what I thought, and that probably made him a weirdo as well. Frosch wore a frog costume at all times, and she seemed to agree with everything you said. Lector met her when we were going home one day, and he seemed to really like bossing her around…and acting smarter than her.

"But I pulled Lector away. I didn't want anything to do with other people. They believed I was stuck-up back in those days…so I was determined not to befriend Rogue. Our friendship would just end in the same fate as my other ones. Something I said would seem so incredibly amazing, that he'd say I thought I was better than him, and then leave me to be a loner. You see, Lucy, I was a really good artist back then as well…no, I'm serious, don't give me that look…I'm being as modest as I can here…anyways, at the age of seven, I had already admitted by artworks into major contests. As a result, every kid hated me for being fawned over by the media. For a long time, I thought Rogue was one of those kids.

"But then…Lector ran away. When I found him, he was with Frosch, looking like he was lecturing her or something…and Rogue was there. I apologized to him, and used his name…and he looked at me with a weird look on his face. He asked me, 'How do you know my name? Are you a stalker?' Can you believe him? We'd been in the same class for three years, and he hadn't even noticed my existence. He didn't even freak out when he discovered I was the Sting Eucliffe from the newspaper and art competitions. It was the first time someone didn't look at me with utter loathing in their eyes, and he and I became quick best friends. Our parents met each other as well, and…it all took off from there."

The blonde tilted her head to one side thoughtfully. "I have never heard of you."

"Yeah, well, my artwork is limited to London, and London only."

"Well…"

Suddenly, the door to the side of them opened. A guy with glasses and a round face poked his head in. "Ride's over folks!"

Lucy was led out of the carriage by Sting who held her steady with his hand as they got out. The blonde did a quick once-over of the space around them, looking for that salmon-haired boy, but he was nowhere in sight.

"Well that was a airy refreshing ride!" Sting smiled, "Get it? Very? Airy? 'Cause we were in the air?"

The blonde stared at him amazement. How could one guy make such a lame joke? The blonde boy sighed, and shoved his hands in his pockets. The blonde girl wasn't worried about his glum appearance; he'd probably try to make some more lame ones in the future.

"Maybe they're at the front entrance," Lucy suggested and Sting nodded lazily.

* * *

Natsu had looked everywhere for Lucy. She hadn't been at any restaurants, or rides, or ticket lines, or show lines, or the fortune teller's booth, or…or…or anywhere! Lisanna was panting as she stood beside him, trying to catch her breath desperately. "Can't you wait a little Natsu?"

Wait? There wasn't any time to wait! Lucy was with a flirty guy who didn't even care that she already had someone…! An idea suddenly popped into his head. The salmon-haired boy looked around, and started to sprint forward.

"What now?" the white-haired girl groaned, running to catch up to him.

"Maybe they're at the front entrance!"

The two of them ran on in silence until his childhood friend suddenly slammed into him. There was so much impact that he stumbled back, and hit his back on a metal railing. He gripped onto it, annoyed.

"That's the second time today-!"

Lisanna reached up to him suddenly, grabbing his face and thrusting it closer to hers. Natsu was very aware of what she was trying to do, and he shielded his lips before they were attacked. The white-haired girl's soft mouth landed on the palm of his right hand. She slackened her strong hold and let go entirely, staring at him in confusion. In his opinion, it should have been the other way around.

"Why-?"

Natsu looked at her in utter disbelief.

"Lisanna, I have a girlfriend, and you…you…have a boyfriend."

"You'll break it off with her soon…just like all the other girls!" she declared, wagging her finger at him. He held up his hands as if he were defending himself from a deadly onslaught.

"No, I won't…this is different."

"Sting isn't even really my real boyfriend!"

The salmon-haired boy peered at her skeptically. "What do you mean?"

"I've been trying to get you jealous Natsu! Only that stupid idiot's been making moves on that blonde…and you've been getting jealous over the wrong person!"

Natsu pulled at his hair stressfully; he waited a few minutes to let what she had just told him sink into his mind. "You've been doing _what?"_

The white-haired girl diverted her gaze to her feet, as if sandals had become her number one interest. Clenching his teeth, Natsu gripped the rail behind him even more tightly, and heaved a long sigh.

"Look, Lisanna…" Natsu began, but she covered her ears. Forcefully, but trying his best not to hurt her, he pried her delicate hands away from there, and said in soft, but firm tones, "I liked you for the longest time…and I thought I would never like anyone else. All the memories I have in my life…most of them I've shared with you…and I thought that was how it was going to be forever. But I was wrong, that blonde you were talking about, she came along in her own forceful and delinquent-like way, and found her way into my heart…like a knife."

_Lucy won't be happy if she discovers that I described her as a lethal weapon. _The thought ran through his mind in a flash, but he was focused on his explanation.

"Bit by bit, unnoticeably, she attracted my attention, even if I was too stupid at first to even notice. Gradually, slowly, she became the most beautiful person in my sight. You may describe me as narrow-sighted for that but…" and Natsu dropped Lisanna's hands, "…but if being narrow-sighted has made me find Lucy, I'm okay with that."

The white-haired girl stood in silence for a moment, then she gave out a loud, anguished cry. Enraged, she lifted her left hand, made an obscene gesture to Natsu, and stomped away towards the front entrance.

"Well, I think that went quite well."

* * *

Maybe Lucy had been wrong about Sting. As they stood at the entrance together, he filled her in on his life in London and his parents, Rogue and Lector, Frosch and Rogue's parents…

He made extremely lame jokes that would have made even the cheesiest of comedians look at him in horror, and he laughed at them. As they chatted, his face would light up or blush when his jokes crashed and burned – which was really often.

He'd run his hand through his golden hair, and he'd shift his blue eyes to her, smile gently, and laugh. Those pearly whites were dazzling, as if he had them waxed and polished every morning. He'd lean on the metal railing behind them, gesturing to pretty colors on the autumn leaves, and the occasionally passing of a flock of birds arranged in a V-formation. The blonde smiled too as he ran his mouth dry of stories.

"..and then Rogue fell in the water!"

As their laughter subsided, the blonde smiled at Sting brightly, reconsidering her impression of him.

_Sting's not such a bad guy after all…_

Yes, that was the thought swimming around Lucy's mind when Sting leaned in and kissed her full on the mouth.

* * *

**I wonder what will happen next!? :D Please review and tell me what you think! Thank you in advance!**


	13. Chapter 13:Tumbling into Your Love Story

**Hello everyone! I'm glad you guys were so angry with the cliffhanger! That sounded weird...well, you know what I mean! Hopefully...**

**Thanks for those constant reviewers and NaLu shippers! Thanks dog's paw burning in hot ash for always being really excited for my next update! Thank you Novi Eufliffe, and me ga mawaru, and NatsuXLucy-1314, and NaLuinfinity! And many more! I'm sorry if I left out your name!**

**Thanks Dr Graphics for correcting me! I like learning about the universe and outer space, and I love learning new things about the terms and things. Now I won't embarrass myself in the future when I talk about light-years! :) Thank you!**

**I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

**WHAT HAPPENED LAST TIME:**

_Sting's not such a bad guy after all..._

_Yes, that was the thought swimming around Lucy's mind when Sting leaned in and kissed her full on the mouth._

* * *

**Chapter 13: Tumbling into Your Love Story**

One second. That was how long it took Lucy Heartfilia to realize what had just happened. That warm feeling spreading across her lips, that pressure on her mouth…it was a kiss. And the person who had done it, who had dared to even lean in and do such a thing…was not Natsu. Rather it was someone else, who had a shock of blonde hair, blue eyes, a scar…Lucy felt like punching him in the face, but she couldn't; her hands wouldn't move, and her feet were completely frozen. The feeling on her mouth finally went away, and she felt dizzy as she stared at Sting. His face needed a black eye right now, but she couldn't even raise a fist to him. Something was wrong with her. Instead of feeling as mad as she should have been, she felt tingly from that kiss. She tried to brush it away, but it stayed there, warm and fuzzy. She had felt the same feeling when she had pulled away from Natsu, after that kiss on the ride, the feeling of "like"…but the blonde did not love Sting. She knew it. But the smooch had been so passionate that his feelings for her must have transferred over…

"Lucy?"

That familiar voice melted her icy limbs again and she looked in despair at that figure she had grown to love. He had onyx eyes, salmon hair, an unbearably hot-headed personality, and right now…the blonde's heart shattered in to pieces…right now, his eyes were filled with hurt. It was like something inside him had broken and he was unable to repair the pieces. His eyes showed the fragments of that broken thing, and Lucy wanted to go up, cry and sob to him. Next to him stood Lisanna, her mouth open in an "o" and her eyes widened. When she noticed the blonde's gaze falling onto her, she scowled fiercely.

"Natsu, I-!"

"You bastard!" Natsu growled and grabbed Sting by his collar. The blonde boy was dragged up in the air, half-choking, and Salmon Top shook him vigorously. Natsu jaw was clenched, his vein popped, and his eyes wild. Sting was thrown to the side, and his back hit the metal railing with a painful thump. That feral expression in Salmon Top's eyes died down, but he kicked the blonde boy with all his might. Eucliffe doubled over, yelping in pain, but not before Natsu delivered another hardcore punch in his face.

"Natsu stop!" Lisanna cried, and knelt down next to the blonde gently. Salmon Top only peered at her viciously before taking up a hand to hit the guy once more. Lucy was there before he could.

"Natsu-!"

The blonde grabbed onto his hand, but he tore it away from her. However, the boy did not make a move to give another punch; he let his hand fall to his side, and that broken look returned to his eyes. Silently, he turned away, and stalked out the front gate. Desperate and worried, Lucy trailed after him, leaving Lisanna to tend to Sting. Salmon Top's steps were long and people persisted in getting in her way, and by the time she caught up with him, he was already halfway home.

"Natsu!" Lucy grabbed onto his hand and he whirled around, facing her with hurt and anger plastered onto his face.

"What!?"

His harsh tone cut through her, but she continued on.

"Are you…mad?" It was a stupid question, she knew.

No answer, maybe because the reply was so dreadfully obvious that he left it to her to make her own assumptions.

"Natsu, I'm sure Sting didn't mean-"

"Why didn't you push him away?"

"Huh?"

The sudden question had taken her by surprise, and she caught Natsu's gaze. It was intense, but she did not divert her eyes away from his.

"Wh-Oh. I was surprised Natsu. Besides he only kissed me for a second-"

"_Besides_?_ Besides_? Lucy, be it one second or one minute, there _is_ no _besides_!"

"I know but-!"

"It was ten seconds Lucy! That was how long it was! You were about to close your eyes…you seemed to be enjoying it." He said the last part softly.

The blonde was baffled. Ten seconds? Enjoying it? She thought back to that warm feeling she had felt. That was ridiculous, she couldn't have…. suddenly, realization dawned on her. That warm feeling was proof enough, that fuzzy feeling evidence, that tingling feeling a sign. Natsu was right. She HAD been…been…_enjoying_ it. She did not know the reason why she had felt that way, but she felt horrible for it. One second for realization, nine seconds for enjoyment.

Salmon Top looked at her, agony shining in his eyes as realization showed itself on her face. He looked away from her, clenching his teeth. Lucy wanted to wipe away that expression on his face, but she couldn't. The one who could comfort him was not her for once. Abruptly, he let their eyes meet again.

"I guess no one could love a delinquent after all. Even you prefer the nicer guy."

The salmon-haired boy turned away, his face hidden in his hair's shadows. The blonde was desperate to stop him, to prove him that he was WRONG.

"Natsu-!"

He stopped, but only for a moment. He moved his mouth to speak. "I really, really loved you-"

His choked for just a moment, then ran away. Lucy was left alone, numb, unfeeling, and in a daze. Just hours ago, they had shared a kiss, and now, what had happened? Did this mean that their relationship was over? At this thought, the tears started to come, and she rubbed them away from her eyes, biting her lip, and cleaning off her runny nose. People passing her looked at her in confusion, then made a disapproving sound. Some individuals ignored her presence and the blonde dragged her feet, preparing to go home. The whole way, she rubbed at her face; Jude would want to know what had happened to her if she came home with her cheeks tear-stained. When she reached the Heartfilia mansion's oaken front doors, she pushed them open, and they fell inward silently. Lucy, careful and deliberately, put a foot on the marble flooring.

"Miss?"

The blonde shrieked, her feet slipping on the floor, and her arms flinging outward to catch herself. Strong arms enveloped her in a hug, and she hung limply in them for a moment, overtaken by surprise. She was lifted up onto her feet, and all she could see was blonde hair…but it was not her own. Blue eyes stared at her with an intensity that made her freeze up, and want to start sobbing all over again.

"Sting…" she heard herself saying.

He looked at her, anxiety clearly showing on his face.

"Miss." It was Ms. Spetto, dressed in an apron and black dress, with her bun done neatly in a chiffon. Her shoes were immaculate as always. "Master Jude is in his study for the moment. You have some time to converse with your…uh…friend?"

Lucy didn't want to talk with the blonde boy. Not after what had happened; she was confused as well, about how she felt towards him.

"Leave." Her voice was so quiet, she wasn't sure if he had heard her; she made her voice louder. "Leave."

The blue-eyed boy remained, looking desperate. As she uttered that one word, a flash of hurt crossed his face. It only served to remind Lucy of another boy's face, and she grew angry.

"Get out of my house. You _dare _enter my home after what you just did?!" Lucy practically screamed. Part of her felt guilty for putting all the blame on him; in her mind, she was at fault as well.

"Lucy, please…"

"Get out!"

"Lisanna told me she tried to kiss Natsu!" The words came out of his mouth red hot fast, but the blonde had heard them. Lucy grew quiet for a moment, tilting her head to see if her father was approaching, but his familiar muffled footsteps on the lush carpets of their home were not heard. She moved her lips, which felt unusually heavy all of a sudden, to continue the conversation.

"What?"

"And he…he let her."

Has the world turned upside down? That was the question in Lucy's mind as she felt herself tipping backwards. Ms. Spetto uttered a short little scream as the blonde felt the ground giving away. Sting leaned forward to catch her again, and Lucy let him. His voice reached her as if she was underwater, and he was surveying her from outside a tank.

"I will bring her up to her room."

The maid nodded, and led him upstairs, around a few corners, and finally pointed towards a white wooden door, less magnificent than the other doors, but the blonde had insisted it to be that way. The blonde boy pushed open the door, and laid her gently on the bed. The maid scurried out, stammering out that she was going to retrieve a glass of water. In some faint corner of her mind, the blonde wanted to call out to her, to request the maid not to abandon her with this boy, but her tongue lolled around inside her closed mouth, refusing to obey her wishes to speak.

"He's a hypocrite, and you should find a better guy."

Lucy barely heard the words he was saying, and she wanted him to shut up and go away. She wanted to lift her legs and kick him in the face, but her energy had seemed to drain away. Salmon Top's lips had touched another girl's, and the blonde grew aggravated to think about it. This must have been what he had felt when Sting's mouth had been pressing against hers. But he had already kissed another person by then, so why should he have even cared?

"I love you." Sting's words took some time to register, but they revived the blonde. She sat up quietly, slowly, and Ms. Spetto came in as she did so. The maid handed over the cup of water to her, and she took it emotionlessly. In a flat and inflection-less tone, she said, "Get out."

"Lucy-!"

"Ms. Spetto, please usher Mr. Eucliffe out, please. I should like some time to think." The well-spoken words, carefully nurtured language, and ladylike manner that had come to her from years of being snapped at by her father when well-honored guests came over had come into play. She only ever used it when she was extremely upset at something, or if her father had yelled at her enough to convince her to talk that way. Seeing this, the maid nodded slightly, and gestured for the blue-eyed boy to take his leave. Sting stood up, hurt, angered, and despairing. He seemed to linger for a bit before he turned, giving Lucy a view of his back; the door was shut quietly behind the two departing people.

The blonde was left in her room, and she turned her head to look out one of her room's many magnificent floor-to-ceiling windows. Not for a moment did she stop to wonder how the blonde boy had found out where she lived.

Wendy knew something was wrong when her cousin pushed past her and tromped up the stairs to his room. His face was neutral enough, but his jaw was clenched, and his fists were balled tightly. He seemed ready to eat fire with the way his eyes shone with anger and something else…it was pain. The blue-haired girl wanted to follow him, and ask what was wrong, but she had a bigger problem on her hands. Lisanna-san was at the door, insisting that she go to Natsu. But, Wendy, one hundred percent a Lucy Heartfilia times Natsu Dragneel shipper, blocked her way stubbornly.

"Wendy, I just need to see-!"

"No!"

The white-haired girl smiled pleasantly, but her eyes beamed with annoyance and rage. "Oh, Wendy, poor Natsu up there has just witnessed Lucy kissing another guy! I can't help but want to go and comfort him!"

Her fake honey-dipped voice was so sickening that Wendy felt compelled to shut the door into her face, but her politeness stopped her from doing so.

"Lisanna-san, I think you should just go home…"

"But-!"

"I agree."

It was a familiar voice and Wendy turned to see her older cousin, now only dressed in his white t-shirt and jeans. His face told her that he was upset and feeling impatient with Lisanna's visitation.

"Lisanna, go home. Your parents will worry."

"Not if I tell them that I'm with you."

"I don't WANT you to be with me! Don't you get it!?" Natsu's voice burst in anger and he shut the door, not caring to look back even once as he stomped back to his bedroom. Wendy stared in surprise, then masking her expression with an air of calm and serenity, she went back to the kitchen, the place where she had originally been.

"It was quite a commotion out there," Uncle Igneel-san said, drinking his mug of tea with relish. Grandine, who stood delicately and quietly at the kitchen counter, shot her daughter a questioning look, but the blue-haired girl only smiled.

"Nothing happened."

_Oh, Wendy, poor Natsu up there has just witnessed Lucy kissing another guy! I can't help but want to go and comfort him._

The words rang in Wendy's head, and she grabbed a knife to start cutting a few onions. She couldn't help but feel disturbed by those words. And already, she could feel herself getting entangled in a love story that wasn't hers. Somewhere else, unknown to her, a petite light-blue-haired girl and a scarlet haired one were also going to be getting involved in the same one.

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**I'm sorry it's short! Please review and tell me what you guys think! (I'm so happy that I have 148 reviews right now! It makes me cry! :'D)**


	14. Chapter 14: The Book That Played Reality

**Thank you for supporting me you guys! I hope you keep reading this story and reviewing to tell me what you think! I'm sorry for those of you who don't like Lisanna being mean. I actually didn't plan to make it that way, but I wanted to make the story interesting and juicy, and little dramatic! Thank you for reviewing! Please continue to support my story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail!**

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**Chapter 14: The Book That Played Reality**

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**Preview**_  
"It was a simple lie."_

_"I suppose it was. And now, I suppose that that simple lie has made me hate you."_

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Lucy awoke to sunlight streaming into her face, and she wondered immediately who had pulled back her window curtains. Then she remembered, she hadn't even closed them last night because of her exhaustion and weariness from thinking too much. Her blanket was strewn carelessly over her, and she wasn't even wearing her pajamas. Feeling burdened by what had happened yesterday, she decided to prepare herself for school.

The process was long as she had to make it appear as if her eyes weren't red-rimmed and her hair was in perfect order. She had grown numb inside ever since she learned about Natsu and Lisanna. As she slipped on her skirt and sweater, the numbness subsided and was replaced by an icy feeling. She sifted through the memories of her mind until she found a line from one of the many novels she had written.

"_I was never more than a replacement for your true love. While she was the real honey, I was the mere fake one, something that would never sweeten your eyes. All there were lies, lies, and more lies. While she was the real honey, I was the fake one, and you were the poison that sure enough, killed me._"

Lucy shivered at the morbidity of it, and she realized with a jolt, that she had known nothing of romance when she had written those words. Now, as she fully analyzed it, she could imagine the deep hurt of the main character of the story. As the blonde opened her room's door and made her way down the stairs to breakfast, her excellent memory recalled the words of the novel.

_"Quietly, I crept down the sidewalk, creaked open his gate, and sped up the path to the door. With a gentle smile, I opened it – his mother had remembered my request from the night before – and I entered. I carefully slipped my shoes off, went up the staircase, and eased his door open. There he was, lying simply on the bed, a lone figure in the middle of an island of sheets, looking angelic in his sleeping pose. For a moment, I hesitated, not sure if I could bear waking him up so that that look dissolved from his face. But the feeling dissipated, and I shook him vigorously, shouting, 'Wake up! Wake up! There's a fire!' _

_ With his reddish-brown ruffled hair and his flashing soft hazel eyes, he fell to the floor, lying mangled in his blanket, before he sprang up. From his desktop, he grabbed a medium-sized water bottle, and yelled frantically, 'Where? Where is it?' His panicked face turned into utmost irritation when I burst out into fits of laughter, rolling on the ground with tears in my eyes. _

_ 'Really Nina?' he said with disgust, sitting down on his bed, and brushing his hair away from his face. He was good looking and was the most popular boy at school. But unfortunately, Akira Hiroshi was a flirtatious kind of guy, even though he had his sights set on someone. As someone who has feelings towards him, his childhood friend, it was all very disappointing. But he had not become her boyfriend yet and she had not become his girl, so I would push the depressing thought off my mind whenever possible._

_ 'I thought I told you not to come here. If Maiko finds out, she'll never like me.'_

_ Maiko Satomi, prettiest girl in the school, was a gentle, beautiful sort of girl, who never got her hands dirty playing sports. She did things like flower arranging, tea ceremonies, practicing putting on a kimono, and catching the hearts of boys like Akira. Girls such as me, sporty and tomboyish, could never par with her. This could only be proved further by my wearing jersey shorts under my uniform skirt. But if you were in my position and had to wear starch, scratchy uniform skirts such as our school provides, you would understand. Sadly, Akira can't, no matter how many times I explain it to him. I even tried to put a skirt on him once, but his strong arms had pushed me away. _

_ 'If I didn't come here, you'd never wake up.'_

_ 'Whatever.'_

_ He prepared to lie down, but I yanked him up. 'Get ready for school.' My voice was flat, and he stared at me in irritation before standing and pointing to his bedroom door. It meant get out, I'm going to dress. I obligated myself to do so, and shut his door behind me. Immediately after closing it, my face flushed and became hot. The feelings I felt towards him were so strong, so undeniably strong, that I found it hard to keep my balance. _

_ 'Nina? So you came after all.' It was Akira's mother, who was a very beautiful lady. Her chestnut brown hair, silky and smooth, was worn in a side ponytail that hung on her right side, curling around her shoulders and upper arm. She had on an apron over her jeans and long-sleeved shirt, but the style she wore them with shone through. Her eyes were a bright green, an unusual thing for a brunette to have, but it made her even lovelier. _

_ 'Yes, Aunty,' I replied, addressing her politely. _(A/N: In Japan, close friends' usual call each other's parents Aunt or Uncle. So, Akira's mom is not actually Nina's aunt.)_ She smiled at me, and her face grew even more beautiful. Her lips looked soft, just like a female's should be, and her skin looked flawless. Her eyes sparkled with merriment. _

_ 'Come, join us for breakfast,' she invited warmly, but I shook my head no._

_ 'I already ate.' _

_ She observed me for a moment, then smiled again. 'Okay then. My husband will be out of his room in a minute, and then we can eat.'_

_ She glided away, and I sighed. She always knew when I lied, just like my mother did. The truth was, I was always too nervous to eat around Akira nowadays, and I ended up hungry later in the day. I yelped in shock as the door behind me opened, and I stumbled. Hands grabbed onto my arms, and lifted me up. _

_ 'Are you okay?' Akira asked, looking at me with concern._

_ 'Yes.' _

_ I was not. My face felt hot, and I quickly turned away from him._

_ After Uncle emerged from his bedroom, we descended the stairs and made our way to the kitchen, where waffles were already set out for us. Akira immediately took a seat next to Aunty and Uncle took the chair on her other side. Reluctantly, I sat myself next to my childhood friend, who gave me a tiny smile before pouring maple syrup on his breakfast. Face blushing, I grabbed a fork, waited for him to set the jar down, took it for myself, and began to eat. They were Belgian waffles and were extremely and satisfyingly fluffy. I ate with relish, and Akira finished before I did. He didn't wait for me, but threw his backpack over his shoulder, bade his parents farewell, and left the house without a word to me. Seeing this, I angrily finished up and cleaned my place up. After hurriedly uttering a word of thanks and bye to Akira's parents, I rushed out of the door, caught up to him, and opened my mouth to say something._

_ 'Go away,' he told me before I could even speak._

_ 'Why?'_

_ 'Maiko will get the wrong idea.'_

_ An arrow pierced through my heart, but I persevered. 'No, she won't. We're just…we're just childhood friends.'_

_ As soon as I said it, I wanted to pull the words back in and pretend they had never been said, but Akira took the uptake and smiled. 'You're right.'_

_ It hurt a lot for him to agree with me and I blinked back my tears. The school was fast approaching and I didn't want my friends to see me cry, or Akira for that matter. _

_ As soon as we reached the gate, Maiko came running up to him, black hair flying and yellow eyes beaming. My friends immediately pulled me away. Whenever I saw that girl, I thought of my own appearance. My hair was a dull dark brown that fell in subtle curls to my shoulders and I had soft blue eyes. My appearance took after my dad more, who was an Italian by birth. My mother was Japanese, and had the usual black hair and black eyes. I was a half, which was pointed out very often in my school life, though I can't imagine why. Akira had always talked to me normally, ignoring people who chided him for it. These days, however, I found him chatting with the more 'popular' people at school, who were fully Japanese, just like him._

_ One of my friends, Sophie Nishiyama, was half Spanish, half Japanese, and she was the owner of the most beautiful green eyes I had ever seen. She was introverted though, and she had only talked to me because I had taken the initiative._

_ Another girl, Kyoko Walters was half Japanese and half American. Her hair was blonde and her eyes were brown, and the only giveaway that she was partly Asian was her slightly slanted eyes. _

_ 'You shouldn't walk with him, it'll only hurt you…"_

Lucy memories of her novel faded at this point, but she could recall what had happened later in the story. The person she had named Akira had confessed to Maiko, unknown to Nina, and in his misery of being rejected, he had gone to his childhood friend. At this recollection, the blonde pulled forth some lines.

_He hugged me tightly, and I couldn't speak._

_ 'I made a mistake,' he said to me, 'I think I love you Nina.'_

Of course, Lucy had made it so the boy was lying, but her main character had bought into it, after she had waited so long for him. If the blonde could remember correctly, the two individuals had started dating. But Lucy had made a horrible twist in it. This section she had written was quite remembered.

_I saw him there, in the classroom, kissing Maiko on the lips so tenderly, so sweetly, as he had never done for me. I didn't notice I was crying until some tears dropped on my hands. _

_ 'How could you?' I suddenly said, giving my position away. He snapped around to stare at me, and said, 'I'm sorry.'_

_ As the words fell out of his mouth, I could see no hint of remorse on his face. _

_ 'But, Nina, didn't you kiss that transfer student?'_

_ 'He kissed ME, and I pushed him away!' _

_ You know I've loved Maiko for a long time.'_

_ My heart was breaking, into a million tiny pieces as he said those words. I hated him. I wanted to forget him. He had gotten so angry when he had found out about that transfer student incident, but now, he was being a hypocrite. _

_ 'I love Maiko.' He pulled the girl close to him, and she avoided my gaze._

_ 'So you lied to me when you said you loved me?'_

_ 'It was a simple lie.'_

_ 'I suppose it was. And now that simple lie has made me hate you.'_

_ I ran away, not looking back. His voice didn't call out for me. Somewhere, in the corner of my mind, I knew he had gone back to kissing his true love. _

'_I was never more than a replacement for your true love. While she was the real honey, I was the mere fake one, something that would never sweeten your eyes. All there were lies, lies, and more lies. While she was the real honey, I was the fake one, and you were the poison that sure enough, killed me._'

The blonde recalled that she had never actually finished that particular story.

"How funny that my work of fiction has become a reality."

"Lucy!"

She stopped in her tracks. Lucy turned to see her friend Levy running up to her, waving her arms. She had been so absorbed in her writings that she hadn't realized she had stepped in Fairy Tail Girls' courtyard. When Levy finally caught up to the blonde, she was out of breath.

"Is it true that Natsu let Lisanna kiss him, and that you've broken up!?"

"I should think so."

The petite girl thought her friend was broken. The other girl, although a true Heartfilia, had always refused to speak like one, but now her language seemed entirely different.

"Lucy? Are you okay?"

"I should think so."

The blonde was NOT okay.

The news spread like wildfire. Everyone was talking about Lucy and Natsu's break-up. Girls snarled at how low a guy like that Salmon Top was, and Lucy, from behind her broken and foggy screen, was saddened to think that their renewed friendship with the other school would end so quickly. The blonde endured the day, ignoring questions, remaining icy. It was as though the old Lucy Heartfilia had gone dormant, sleeping and unable to be aroused.

At the end of the day, she left without Erza or Levy, and the two friends came to her, sincerely worried about her. They walked alongside her, trying to cajole her to talk about them, but she remained mute. The scarlet-haired girl and the light-blue-haired one were about to give up when a faint tinkling sound came from behind them.

That sound was indeed a girl talking. Lucy turned as she heard her name.

"Lucy…Heartfilia?"

"Yes?"

"I…I need to talk to you."

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**I'm sorry if it's a bit rushed, but I hoped you liked it! IMPORTANT: And I hoped you liked the novel Lucy (or technically I) wrote! If you guys really like it, please tell me if you want it to be a side story! I will gladly oblige if so! I will gladly help Lucy out and finish the novel for her (or technically since I wrote it, finish it for me but...let's not get technical). Please leave your reviews in that beautiful box below. It's a really nice box to type in, don't you think?!**  
**Next Chapter: Lies**


	15. Chapter 15: One Lie Hides the Truth

**I'm so glad you guys liked that novel Lucy (or technically I) wrote! I will continue to write in the side stories as some of you have requested! Thank you so much!**

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**Chapter 15: One Lie Hides the Truth**

The four girls were sitting in the park, silent as the breeze caressed their hair. Lucy stared at the other girl opposite her, only faintly interested by what she wanted with her. She was very pretty, with long pink hair pulled back into a wavy ponytail and bright green eyes that seemed to be filled with happiness. Although she seemed extremely nervous now.

Her Fairy Tail Girls' uniform was very close-fitting, her skirt was short, and her black socks went all the way up to her thighs. She had her hands intricately intertwined in her lap, and she bit her lip, as if pondering about what to say. Suddenly, she looked up at Lucy and said, "My name is Meredy; I'm a close friend of Ultear…"

The blonde seemed unaffected by this announcement and the pink-haired girl seemed more nervous than ever.

"I heard about your break up with Natsu Dragneel…"

Lucy's back stiffened and her hands tightened her hold on her bag, but otherwise, her face remained neutral. Her mind was throwing a hundred questions a second at her, but she picked one carefully. Why was this girl, Meredy, talking to her about this?

"I suppose you're wondering why…" Meredy's voice trailed off and her eyes shimmered with anxiety. "The one who spread the news around the school, I know him well, his name is Sting Eucliffe. Do you, by any chance, know him?"

Lucy gave a little nod, clenching her jaw at the name.

"He said, 'Natsu Dragneel let Lisaana Strauss kiss him.' He told it to one girl, who told another girl, who gave the information to another girl…and so on. The flow of information soon reached my ears, and taking action, I traced the source of the news to him. When I discovered that, I felt weak at the knees. Lucy Heartfilia, do you know why that is?"

Her voice suddenly became firm, serious, and she seemed to glow with an officious aura. The blonde met Meredy's gaze, but she had no answer. Her lips parted to speak. "No."

"Because," the pink-haired girl lowered her gaze, "because the words he spoke were lies, Lucy."

It seemed as if an electric shock coursed through the blonde. Faintly, in the corner of her mind, she remembered the blonde boy's words. _And he...he let her._

"I was there, at the amusement park, when I saw Natsu-san and Lisanna-san. They were talking, and without meaning to, I eavesdropped on them. Lisanna…she said that she liked him, and that Sting wasn't her real boyfriend…that she was using Eucliffe to get Natsu jealous…but the blonde boy, he seemed to take a liking to you. He ruined her plan by 'making moves' on you, and Natsu, according to Lisanna, got jealous over the wrong person."

She lifted her gaze to look at Lucy right in the eyes.

"That person was you. He said that he truly loved you. And Lisanna grew angry…but before, before that, Lucy…that girl, she tried to kiss him."

_And he…he let her._

"But…he stopped her! Lucy, he stopped her! He didn't want her to kiss him, and he stopped her! Lucy, if you heard from Sting that Natsu let Lisanna kiss him, he was lying! Lucy, Sting was lying!"

The girl's voice seemed to shoot an arrow right through the blonde. An undeniable heat coursed through her, and it seemed to her that all her iciness melted away. Her joints became movable again, and she gasped, as if she had held her breath for the longest time. The blonde fell to the ground on her knees, gasping and trying to hold back her tears. Levy and Erza, afraid for their friend, knelt beside her, patting her on the back, asking if she was okay. All the while, Meredy stayed seated on the bench, completely calm.

"He was lying…" she whispered under her breath.

"Lucy! Lucy! Are you okay!?" Levy cried, clutching onto her friend with panic. Suddenly, abruptly, the blonde raised her head, her eyes flashing with fury.

"That _bastard,_" the blonde muttered viciously, and pushed Levy away as she got up. She began to run, but not away from something; quite contrarily, she was running _towards _something. The scenery passed by her in a blur as she ran; her legs began to ache, but she would not stop even for just a moment. The blonde's breath came easily, and it seemed to her that she would never grow tired from all this running she was doing. Lucy searched relentlessly and finally found that person, that horrid person, in the courtyard of Edolas Academy. It was empty, except for him and another girl. Lucy didn't care, and while his back was turned, she sprinted towards him and kicked him down. The blonde boy went tumbling, and his arms became scratched from the loose gravel on the ground. Angrily, he looked up, but the fury flickered away as he realized it was the blonde.

"Lucy," Sting said brightly, but the blonde grabbed him by his shirt collar and wrenched him up. She pulled his face towards her.

"Don't you 'Lucy' me, you lowdown _jerk!" _

She flung him down on the ground, and Lisanna screamed indignantly. "Shut up you brat!" the blonde snarled, and pointed an accusing finger at the boy on the ground.

"You lied to me! You said Natsu let that girl kiss him, but he didn't…he didn't you jerk! You freaking liar!"

Sting got up slowly, and gave her a desperate sort of look. "It was the only way to get you to forget him…! You'd have never considered me any other way!"

"I would have never considered you even if it was true!"

"I…but..!"

"You selfish jerk! You ruined everything! Our feelings were mutual, we were happy, but why couldn't you _understand_!?"

"I loved-!"

"If you really did, you would have never done what you did!"

Silence ensued her outburst, and the blonde was unaware of the tears streaming down her cheeks. Her whole body trembled with anger.

"I only love Salmon Top! When you kissed me…when you kissed me, I could only think about the memories I shared with him! You _never _even crossed my mind! I was such a fool to think that I could be enchanted by you, even if it was just for a brief minute!"

Her voice was growing hoarse from all the yelling and screaming she was doing, but she paid no attention to it. Her fists were clenched and her jaw was set in a declaration of rage. All she wanted to do, all she _wished _to do, was to pound him to a pulp, but her legs had grown as heavy as lead. She fell to her knees, sobs racking her body.

"It…I…it was only a simple lie."

"Simple!? Simple!? You call it simple when I thought all my trust for Natsu was gone!? When I felt such despair!? Tell me, is that simple?!"

Sting backed away, his face darkened, and Lisanna pulled on his arm worriedly. He wrenched it away, and ran out of the courtyard, head hanging down. For a moment, the blonde thought she saw the white-haired girl look at her with concern, but it dissipated so quickly that Lucy thought it was her imagination playing with her mind and eyes. The girl rushed out and ran after the blonde boy, leaving Lucy alone in the space.

"Lucy!" a far off voice called. It was Erza and her voice grew louder as she approached her golden-haired friend, and knelt beside her. Levy accompanied her, hesitating to comfort her friend. The pale-blue-haired girl was afraid that she would only upset the blonde girl even further.

"Natsu…Natsu…" Lucy gasped, tears rushing down her face. Levy exchanged a look with Erza, and the scarlet-haired girl nodded. They understood what they would have to do. Their minds were already whirling as they set their blonde friend on a park bench.

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"Sting, don't you think you're taking this too far?" Lisanna asked, waving her arms in desperation.

"You like Natsu, don't you?"

"Yes, but…but I think we should give this charade up!"

The blonde boy turned towards the white-haired girl, his eyes holding such a manic look that Lisanna backed away, afraid.

"I will get my hands on Lucy, no matter what!"

The white-haired girl wanted to stop him as he strode away, to tell him that she had seen the extreme love for Natsu in the other girl's eyes, but her whole body was frozen.

"Stop…" she said in a whisper, but Sting had already turned a corner.

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**I'm sorry it's short...but Lisanna's a nice girl now! Yay...? But anyway, I hope everyone who wanted Lisanna to actually be nice was satisfied! Please leave a review and tell me what you think!**


	16. Chapter 16: Side Story: Who is he?

**I've decided to start off the side story from when Nina runs away after Akira kisses Maiko! *smiling uncontrollably* I should probably try to calm myself down...**

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**Chapter 16: Side Story: Who is he? **

Replacement. Never before had I thought that that word would hurt me so much. As I sat up in the big, wide bed of mine, I only saw Akira kissing Maiko in that afternoon drenched classroom. Despair clouded my heart, and I got up, knees wobbling, and vision blurry. Dragging myself, I went to the bathroom, washed off my face, and as I looked into the mirror, Akira popped into my mind. I mentally pushed the picture away as I grabbed my uniform and put it on hurriedly. Mother was downstairs, black hair pulled back into a bun, and she looked at me in faint surprise.

"I thought you would be at Akira's!"

"And who exactly is he, may I ask?"

She looked at me warily, and put down the pitcher of milk that she was holding. Wiping her hands on her apron, she came up to me and set her hands on my shoulders.

"Did something happen, Nina?"

"Something can't happen when nothing has ever happened."

A confused look distorted her delicate, but lovely Asian features, but she dropped the subject as Father descended the stairs and into the kitchen. He was readjusting his tie with a troubled look on his face. Mother gave me one more lingering glance before she rushed off to help him. He smiled at her in thanks and waved at me energetically.

"_Buongiorno!_" Father bade me good morning in Italian.

"_Anche voi,_" I replied. ("You too.")

He took himself to the kitchen table and sniffed in the smell of pancakes and bacon. "_Magnifico!"_

I took a seat directly across from him, and grabbed a fork and knife moodily. "Could you speak in Japanese now, please?"

"Oh, how cruel, daughter! You know it's my daily routine to talk in Italian at least once a day!" he replied, pretending to cry behind his elegantly sleeved arm. I cut off a piece of a pancake and raised it to my mouth emotionlessly. Father looked at me closely.

"Has something happened, _miele?" _ he inquired of me, a concerned look crossing his features. His smile wrinkles were showing noticeably at the corner of his eyes, as my mother's did at times. I shook my head slightly. "No, nothing is wrong, Papa."

He looked uncertain, and I could tell he wanted to press the matter even further, but my Mother stopped him. From the corner of my eyes, I saw her shake her head no as she laid a hand on his arm. Obediently, Papa stopped his flow of inquiries, but he still stared at me in the typical "worried-about-my-child" parental way.

I finished after a few minutes, and stood up soundlessly to go wash my plate. My parents' eyes followed my every move as I did so.

"I'm off to school, now," I said, kissing each of their cheeks. To erase their worries, I gave them a wretched smile that I knew looked unauthentic, and bounded outside.

In the distance, I could see Akira heading off to school, but he wasn't alone. Next to him, in all her loveliness, was Maiko Satomi; even from this far away, I could hear her light, bell-like laugh. It sounded like wind chimes rattling in the breeze, and as soon as it died off, Akira's laughter followed, happy and ecstatic. My heart hurt; how could he recover so quickly when I felt miserable? As I passed his house, a hand reached out to grab my upper arm; despite my gloomy mood, I yelped in fear.

It was simply Aunty, a look of confusion warping her face. Her hair was tied in a braid this time, and her eyebrows were creased with worry.

"What happened? Why is Akira with another girl?"

"What do you mean 'why', Aunty? After all, he was with her this entire time."

My riddle-like answer did nothing but increase Aunty's worry, I could tell, but before she could say anything I walked away. Her grasp fell away from my arm easily, as if she did not have any strength left in her body to hold me back. Behind me, I could hear her sighing deeply, a tinge of frustration drenching it. I wanted so badly to look back at her, reassure her that I was perfectly alright, but my head seemed to be able to only face in one direction: forward. Unfortunately, I could not be sure to say the same for my progress in love. Should I move forward, or stay? Move on from this wretched crush, or stay?

Not even a word of an answer crossed my mind, and I rubbed my eyelids with exhaustion. So Akira and Maiko were an item; I had acknowledged that it would probably happen sometime or later back then, but now, I could not accept it. Without a twinge of guilt, without even a second thought about what he was doing, he had played with my feelings. He had learned about how I had felt, and he had not even felt guilty about using them to wash away his hurt feelings after being rejected by Maiko. (This I had learned about after that fatal classroom kiss last night. Sophie had called me to tell me about it too late. I hung up on her before she could say much else, probably worrying her to no end.)

I looked up to see my school looming above me, but all I got was a uniform dress shirt in the face. I ran into someone, and I was sent falling to the ground, my nose and face tingling with the impact. A strong hand gripped my wrist, and I felt my whole body being lifted up by someone. I opened my eyes, which I had closed in my sudden panic of tumbling down. Looking right at me was a boy with messy, short green hair and stormy gray eyes flecked with gold. He was wearing our school uniform in a messy kind of way. For one, he wasn't even adorning the school's blazer, but instead had on the school's soccer jacket, unzipped and showing the uniform's button-up shirt inside. It was unbuttoned at the top and he didn't wear a tie about the collar. He was adorning the school's black uniform pants, though, which were closefitting and suit him well. On his feet were the school's white shoes. He looked familiar for some reason, and I suddenly knew why.

"Ryouta-kun!"

Shinichi Ryouta (Shinichi is his first name) was a fantastic soccer player who was extremely good-looking, right after Akira. Girls who were more into sports went after him most of the time. With his gray, golden-flecked eyes, he stared at me and gave me a wide, lopsided grin.

"You're kinda clumsy, aren't ya, half?"

I stood up indignantly, completely aware that his comment held two insults.

"How could you insult me like that!? It isn't enough calling me clumsy, and you have to call me half, too!?"

He looked genuinely confused. "How is being half-Japanese an insult?"

I looked at him for a moment, shocked. "Well, most people make it out to be…"

His voice cut into my explanation abruptly, "Well, I'm the exception, got it?"

"Oi! Ryouta! Coach is callin' ya!" a redheaded guy called from the soccer field. The green-haired boy looked back, his eyes making him look troubled. "Alright!"

Ryouta-kun then looked at me, eyes back to sparkling. "Don't fall anymore, got it?" He sprinted away, waving his arms vigorously at the boy who called out to him. He was yelling something that was incomprehensible to me.

I stared after him, and shook my head. What a troublesome guy…

I went off to look for Sophie so that I could discover how she had reacted to the my hanging up on her last night, and finally saw her seated under a tree. Her waist-long black hair fell around her face as she braided Kyoko's blonde hair, who was chatting excitedly to her. I ran up to them, and they smiled at me brightly.

"Oh, Nina? I thought you would be with Akira…" the blonde girl started to say. As her words reached my ears, I gave a low, almost inhuman moan.

I burst into tears, and Kyoko looked as if she were panicking. Sophie stood up, gently leading me to a nearby bench, where she patted my back comfortingly. "Did Akira break up with you? Is that why you hung up last night?"

I could only nod slightly, and Kyoko, now calmed down, approached me and wrapped her arms around me. I hid my face in her arm, and for a moment, all that could be heard was my sniffling and quieted sobs. The blonde girl tightened her hold on me and muttered, "I've always wanted to beat that flower boy's face up…"

My hand reached up and clutched onto hers, and she looked at me, smiling gently. "Don't worry, Nina, we're here…"

I stared at Angelo-san from across the soccer field. She was crying into her friend's arm, her brown hair falling about her face, and her blue eyes hidden from view. I was left wondering about several things. Wondering why she was crying, wondering who had caused her to cry…although I already knew the answer to that last one. I shifted my gaze to the reddish-brown haired boy standing at the school gate, laughing with Maiko Satomi. Being in Nina's – I mean, Angelo-san's – English class, I knew that she looked out the window whenever Akira Hiroshi had physical education. Everyone knew about her crush on him, everyone it seemed, except the person himself.

People were shocked when she had started dating him, but as everyone whispered and stared, Akira reached his hand out and grabbed onto Maiko's hand. She stared at him with affection and turned back to the conversation at hand. I looked from the new couple to Angelo-san, then back at them again. This was probably not even my business, but I couldn't help but feel intrigued by the girl who had looked at me indignantly at what I had said to her this morning, yet had felt such a deep pain inside. Nina Angelo was by far the weirdest girl I had ever met. So why not be her friend and find out more about her?

"Ryouta!" Akio, my redheaded teammate screamed, and I turned just in time to catch a soccer ball that had been heading towards my face.

"I got it!"

"Stop being so distracted!"

"Distracted?"

Nina Angelo was a distraction. And I could feel in the pit of my stomach that she would become an even greater one in the future.

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**I know it's a bit rushed! But I hope you guys liked it! I decided to add in another guy! Let's see how Nina's story unfolds in later upcoming side stories alright...!? Please leave me a review (you guys are so good about that! Thank you!) and tell me what ya think! :)**


	17. Chapter 17: Unexpected Turn

**For those of you who were confused, Chapter 16 was a side story! :) Sorry about that! But I'm glad you guys liked it**

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**Chapter 17: Unexpected Turn**

Wendy Marvel stared. And stared, and stared, and stared some more. Levy McGarden and Erza Scarlet were at the door to her house, panting like they had just run fifteen miles.

"We need that son of – I mean – guy," Erza finally said breathlessly, running her hand through her long hair. The blue-haired girl hesitated for a moment, before answering, "He won't come out to anyone's calls."

"We'll see about that, that bi – I mean, guy," Levy growled, pushing past Wendy and marching up the stairs. Erza followed suit, and Wendy looked around helplessly for a minute before chasing after them. At the top of the landing, the two girls were whipping their heads this way and that in confusion. Their faces asked the petite blue-haired girl where Natsu's room was. Cautiously, Wendy dragged her feet to her older cousin's bedroom and knocked on his door. No reply came from within, and she called out timidly, "Natsu…san?"

"Go…AWAY!" the boy's voice drifted through the wooden door, and the blue-haired female sighed. At least she knew he hadn't died from starving himself, or something. Wendy jiggled the door handle and said, with a desperate pitch in her voice, "Um, Lucy-san's friends are here!"

He had locked the door, much to her frustration.

Erza stepped up, pounding so hard that Wendy was afraid the wood might splinter. "Dragneel! You open this door immediate_ly! _Lucy wants to talk to you!"

"And…?" the salmon-haired boy's voice seemed much closer now, as if he was leaning against the door. His shadow could be seen in the crack between the floor and the bottom of the door. The scarlet-haired girl kicked out, but no reaction came from the male on the other side. Levy knocked on the wood next, and said softly, "Natsu, Lu-chan _needs _you."

No answer.

Erza wrenched on the door handle, but it held onto its placing tightly, as if it couldn't bear to let go. She pulled again, and Levy bent down to slide her fingers underneath the door. Suddenly, the petite pale-blue-haired girl howled and jerked back her hand.

"What happened?" Erza asked, abandoning her apparent mission to tear apart the Dragneel and Marvel home to check what was wrong with her friend.

"My hand!" Levy cried in lament, "He stepped on it!"

"Natsu-san!" Wendy's voice was filled with exasperation, and to her surprise, a hint of anger. She seized the doorknob and pulled shook it despairingly. "You know that it's not Lucy-san's fault for that kiss! You know it and I guess the only explanation is that…is that you don't care what happens to Lucy Heartfilia now!"

The handle was abruptly torn out of the little, short girl's hands as the door swung inward. On the other side was Natsu-san himself, hair ruffled, eyes red with exhaustion, and dressed in nothing but a white tee shirt and striped boxers. He was gripping the door tightly and in the sudden quiet atmosphere of the situation, everyone could hear slight cracking sounds coming from the white-painted wood.

"_What_?" he asked, and the blue-haired girl backed up away from him. "Do you know what I've been thinking about in this room ever since last night to now?"

"I-!"

"Lucy! All I can ever think about is that girl! Even when this wasn't happening, I-!"

"Thinking about her doesn't help anything when you just stay holed up in your room the entire day," Erza's icy voice said. "Lucy's in Edolas Academy's courtyard, crying, helpless, and whispering your name, and here you are, at home, too cowardly to even step out of the safe haven of your own room!"

"I-!" Natsu began to protest.

"Lu-chan _loves _you, Natsu!" Levy interrupted, her voice also cold with impatience. The salmon-haired boy looked lost as he averted his intense gaze and directed it towards the ground. A few moments of silence passed as his stubborn feelings ebbed away from his face and was replaced by confusion and longing. Inside, they all knew what he was thinking – he desired to find Lucy and hold her safely in his arms so that she would escape never again from his grasp. The salmon-haired boy didn't want this love, this relationship, to be just another _relationship. _He wanted to hold it dear to him, and for their mutual feelings towards each other to be _special. _And they were, Wendy knew, and she did not hesitate in taking action. His head soon snapped up as his younger cousin grabbed his hand, and looked into his eyes meaningfully.

"_Go, _Natsu-san…"

His onyx eyes looked at her for another long moment before he tore his eyes away and raced down the stairs. With a jolt, he came running back, darted into his room, and came back with pants on. "That would have scared the daylights out of her," he muttered, before bounding down the staircase again. There was a loud slam of the door as he exited, leaving in his midst an unsettling, awkward calm and silence.

"Why does everything have to be so difficult with him?" Erza sighed distastefully before crossing her arms in front of her chest. Levy shrugged, "I guess that's true love, for ya."

Lucy brought her knees up to her chest, sighing massively before putting her legs down again. She had been doing this repetitively for minutes now, ever since her friends had left her, saying they would be right back. Although, 'right back' was sure taking an immensely long time. She wished they would return already, so that she could drag herself home. Suddenly, a distant pattering of footsteps slapping the ground snapped her head up and she looked towards a corner where she was expecting for two girls to appear. But instead, all she received was a head of salmon hair, a pair of onyx eyes, and an intense gaze. He looked much the same as a day ago – or about that time – but his figure had seemed to have been out of her sight for so long that she felt a rush of nostalgia overtake her.

"Natsu?" She could barely get the words out of her mouth before he tackled her with hug, rocking her back and forth.

"I'm sorry Lucy, I'm sorry I blamed you…"

"Natsu…I…I only thought of you when he, when he kissed-!"

Her words were cut off sharply as he pressed his lips against hers. She gave out a short cry of surprise before she closed her eyes and let herself melt against him. His hold on her was so very tight that she felt like it was the safest and happiest place to be in her own world. Finally, he pulled back, a light blush sprinkling his cheeks before he said, "I know. I know. And I should have realized it sooner…that you really loved me."

"Now, now, let's not be so conceited, shall we?" the blonde sniffed before embracing him once again.

"And I really, really love you as well," Salmon Top murmured softly, and Lucy – she couldn't help it – smiled. The first real smile she had given that day. Natsu let go and sat himself beside her on the bench, looking flushed and happy. Slowly, he laid his hand over hers, and she slipped her fingers through his. The setting sun was beautiful…setting sun…afternoon…evening….

The blonde had completely forgotten about Jude Heartfilia and his strict curfew schedule for his teenage daughter. Abruptly, she stood up, startling Salmon Top badly, but as soon as the situation was explained, he understood. They were both reluctant to leave, but they walked as briskly as they could down the route to Lucy's house.

Despite the unusual pace they were traveling at, they exchanged a few words, and laughs. In fact, the blond herself was giggling when it happened.

She stepped right into a burly figure, whose muscles were taut and lean under his black suit. Lucy, now on the floor, looked up to see a square face, a flat nose, and big, bulging eyes. The man had a black blazer and dress pants on, and on his right pinky finger was a golden ring. The blonde knew him only too well. It was one of Daddy's many security guards who had caught her much too often when she was little and tried to run away. Unusually, she didn't even know his name despite the distinct memories of him roughly catching her and hauling her, kicking and screaming, back to the mansion.

"Miss Heartfilia," he said in a husky voice and nodded to someone to his left. Lucy turned to see another security worker, who grabbed a hold of Natsu as he kicked and threw punches. The blonde felt a horrible feeling arise in her stomach and yelled out despairingly as the guard before her clutched onto her arm. She grew dizzy from what she knew what was coming next. As they were helplessly carried to her house's gates and double oak doors, she only had to look at the ground to know that she was being unfairly dragged to her Father's study. A resounding knock filled the corridor as Square Face asked for permission to enter. Accordingly, the doors flew open and Lucy yelped as she was pulled off of Square's shoulder and dropped to the ground. In front of her, aside from the innumerable books her dad had aligned on the many shelves in his room, was Jude's mahogany desk, intricately carved with leaves and flowers. His desk and several books and loose papers thrown upon it, and his one lamp was on, dimly lighting the palatial room. Behind the desk was Jude Heartfilia himself, looking grim and stern as he usually did. That did nothing to surprise the blonde. What really did pull a great shock out of her was seeing Sting Eucliffe and Lisanna Strauss standing on each side of his desk.

The white-haired girl was looking troubled, her hands clasped tightly behind her slim figure. In contrast, the blonde boy was looking rather smug, as if he had just accomplished something no one else had ever done before.

"Lucy…Heartfilia…"

Father's voice brought her attention to him automatically, and she stood up, dusting herself off in the process. Beside her, Salmon Top did the same, but appeared rather peeved about it.

"This young man…" Jude gestured to Sting who nodded at him politely, "…has informed me that this…" he looked as Natsu with disgust and revulsion written plainly across his face, "…_trash _is your suitor."

"If, by the standards of your olden day language, that word means 'boyfriend', then yes," Lucy retorted, crossing her arms in irritation. Jude's eyes flashed with anger for moment before they regarded her calmly.

"I am rather…" he passed, as if searching for the correct word, "…glad, that your, uh, friend, has brought this to my attention because…how should I put it? A member of the Heartfilia family will not be seen with a delinquent and lowdown runt like…_him."_

"Dad, I can date whoever I-!"

"SIR!" Jude roared, his face turning red with rage. He stood up from his leather chair in his fury. Sting and Lisanna cringed a bit at his outburst.

"_Sir," _Lucy said mockingly, "I can date whoever I want."

"No, no, Lucy, I do not think you very well can." He sat back down again.

"It's my life-!"

"Yes, indeed it is. But do not forget who gave you that life."

"If I can recall, mothers give birth."

"Yes, but…I am your father, and I regulate your _life." _

_ "And that's we're you're completely wrong!" _the blonde screamed and everybody but Jude seemed unnerved at her sudden yell.

"Fine, you can date whoever you want, my daughter," the man said evenly.

"I-! Wait, I can?"

Jude twisted an expensive looking ring on his left ring finger in amusement. He looked up and gave a slightly crooked smile, and then said, "It doesn't matter much in the end, anyways."

"Wh-what do you mean?" Lucy's voice shook a little.

"You see, I'm glad this matter was brought up because, you already have a fiancé, my darling."

"A _what!?"_

"Yes, such a lovely boy he was when I met up with him. What was his name again?"

"Father…!"

"Ah, yes, I remember now. It was Rogue Cheney. Your fiancé's name is Rogue Cheney."

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**I'm sorry that I kind of rushed Natsu and Lucy's forgive-and-forget session! but I hope you guys still like it! Oh my goodness! What's gonna happen next!? Sorry! No hints!**


	18. Chapter 18:Rogue's Story As Told By Jude

**I'm really glad that you guys all liked the side story! Thank you for supporting me! I'm also really glad that I'm getting all these new readers who review so much! Thank you! :DD Yes, two D's that represent smiles because I'm so happy!**

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**Chapter 18: Rogue's Story As Told By Jude**

It seemed as if an electrical shock had just struck the room with an incredible force, because everyone was in utter shock. Sting fell to his knees, staring into space, and his face was as white as milk. On the other side, Lisanna's usually composed face had slackened and her hands had fallen to her sides. Natsu, who had no idea who Rogue even was, had been lost at the word "fiancé". The blonde wasn't even sure how she felt; there was mixture of feelings boiling within her. Shock, hate, fury, numbness. There was not a preeminent emotion that rose in her.

"…since when? Since when have you planned this? How long have I had…a…a…?" Lucy's voice trailed off, not wishing to speak aloud the word on her – on everyone's minds.

"I met him and his parents two years ago…so I should expect around the beginning of your last year of junior high." Jude didn't seem to care that his daughter was trembling with the weight of the news. He just continued to twist his ring around his finger with a bored expression scrawled across his face.

"I…no, why haven't you ever _told _me?"

"Would it really make a difference if I had told you?" the man asked, standing up from his desk chair and walking to a bookshelf. "You would have ended up marrying Rogue anyways, whether you had known about it or not."

He turned to face Lucy, with an amused expression on his face. "Telling you would not have changed anything…even just a bit."

Tears pressed against the back of the blonde's eyes; she felt like charging at her dad and slapping him on the face.

"Things would have been different…if Mother was still alive," she whispered quietly, but Father's keen ears picked up on the comment.

"_Do not even speak of Layla!_" his voice thundered loudly even in the enormity of the study. "_You _are nothing like her! Unlike you, she was a real lady. She knew right from wrong. Jewels from…" Jude peered at Natsu, "…_trash."_

"You _bastard," _Natsu growled, apparently coming out of his own trance, "how could you talk to your daughter in such a way?"

"I'm going to pretend I never even heard a piece of garbage like you speak. Do you understand why? Because garbage and waste do not speak to jewels, rubies, and diamonds." The man's voice was calm, even, and level, as if he had no guilt in saying what he was saying.

Salmon Top scowled deeply and opened his mouth to say something else, but in the corner of the room, Sting gasped loudly. It was an abnormal gasp, sounding like the kind one would do if searching for air to breathe into their lungs.

"He never told me…" the boy was saying, "Rogue never told me about this!"

"Ah, Sting Eucliffe," Jude drawled, back to sounding bored, "child prodigy in the art of drawing and sketching. You thought you knew your friend quite well, did you? Well, bad news boy, you don't.

"For instance, you don't know (A/N: Spoiler Alert for those of you who have only watched the anime so far!) that his real name is Ryos Cheney, or that his parents are quite well known in England, did you?"

Sting had gone still, so very immobile that he might have been dead, save for the rise and fall of his chest.

"Ah, such lovely people they are. Remember, Lucy, when I went to England and left you home along with Ms. Spetto and the others? No? At least answer me, girl. Well, anyways, I became acquainted with Skiadrum Cheney and his wife Marion Cheney. Skiadrum and his wife were heads of the most famous company of actresses, singers, and actors! Of course, they never showed their faces in public, nor gave their real names, and therefore, everyone knew them by the alias Nikolei Titans and his wife, Quinn Titans! It was never revealed that they had a son.

"Rogue, being such a young boy, hid the information well, and came upon…you, I suppose, Sting Eucliffe, the amazing child artiste. But let's face it, my boy," Jude said with a pitying look directed towards the blonde boy, "that black-haired boy is so much more amazing than you can ever be. I suspect he felt sorry for you and therefore became your…friend, I suppose. Although, I certainly don't know why he should have pitied _you, _of all people. Maybe it's that horrid scar on your face."

The man walked to his desk, where he slid open a drawer, withdrew a wine bottle and glass, and started to pour some of the red liquid out. When he had spilled out the desired amount, he positioned the container upright, corked it, and put it away. He lifted the cup to his mouth, sipping delicately, then he continued.

"Or maybe because your artwork is completely hideous, in my opinion," the man began to play with the wineglass in his hands, "I really do thank you for bringing this utter tragic situation" – he glanced at Natsu with faint hatred shining in his eyes, then looked back at Sting – "but really, do stay away from my daughter from now on. Oh, and, for your information, I think your name is hopelessly ridiculous."

Jude nodded to Security Guard Square Face, saying, "Escort them out, please."

Square seized Natsu, Sting, and Lisanna all in one grasp, and prepared to leave when Jude suddenly said, "What are you doing? Take my daughter as well."

The guard turned slightly, a bit shaken at his mistake. "Oh, I thought you might have wanted to talk-"

"There is absolutely nothing to discuss about. I did not open up this topic to have it questioned and argued upon. The day I agreed to her arranged marriage…well, let's just say the matter was sealed airtight. Bring her away. I've been taken away from my work for a long enough time as it is."

The blonde raised her head to protest, to plead, to do anything to urge her Father to reconsider, but his gaze was set on his paperwork. He did not even glance up once to see how his daughter was taking the news he had just put upon her.

"Come along now," Square Face said, dragging her along, and all she could do was comply with what he ordered her to do. In some faint, overpowered corner of her mind, she knew that she should kick, scream, cry, but her energy had been drained from her. Sting, who had been seen confident and arrogant most of the time, was pale-faced and looking ill. Salmon Top had fallen silent long ago, and had a blank, faraway look in his eyes. Lisanna only half-walked, and was half-dragged, looking like she was blaming herself for something. They exited the room and trudged down the hallway in silence.

"Father, how could you?" was all the blonde whispered as the doors closed with a heavy thump, and she allowed only a single tear to trail down her cheek.

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Back in the study, Jude collapsed into his leather chair, holding his head in his hands despairingly. Lucy's hurt face flashed through his mind again, and he swept all the work and papers set upon his desk to the ground. Clenching his teeth, he pressed a button at the side. A crackling ensued and the maid's voice came through.

"Yes, Mr. Heartfilia, sir?"

"Ms. Spetto, please bring me…please bring me another wine bottle. I'm sorry, two wine bottles…I'm afraid I shall have to drink tonight…"

"Yes…right away, Mr. Heartfilia…" the maid answered with only a hint of hesitation in her voice.

Clink, clink, went the chime of wine bottle on glass. That sound would be frequently rung in the study's wide space that night.

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***Gasp* What's gonna happen next!? Sorry for teasing you guys...! Please review and tell me what you guys thought! (I didn't know Skiadrum's gender, so I just improvised!)**


	19. Chapter 19: Rogue's Story and Jude's

**I know I've definitely said this a million times but...thank you so much for supporting my story and giving me the BEST compliments ever. It makes me smile! Like this: :D**

**Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Fairy Tail**

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**Chapter 19: Rogue's Story and Jude's Breakdown**

As soon as they had reached the outside, Lucy tore free of Square Face's grasp, dragging Natsu with her. She clutched her arms around him, daring anyone to approach him, but nobody did. Sting had gone completely white-faced, and he was looking around, lost.

"Rogue…" he whispered and staggered as he took a step. Lisanna caught him, and he jerked himself away from her, sprinting out of the Heartfilia gates. The white-haired girl chased after him, a concerned and worried expression plastered on her face.

"Maybe we should follow them…they're probably looking for Rogue…" Lucy muttered and Salmon Top looked her in the eyes, nodded once, and stood up straight. Together, they rushed to the sidewalk, arriving just in time to see Lisanna's skirt flitting out of sight around the corner. The blonde grabbed Natsu's hand distractedly and pulled him after her; their running speed was about the same, and Lucy let go of the boy's had as she realized what she was doing. For a second, his gaze turned towards her, and he quickly snapped his head away, a light rosy pink ascending on his cheeks. Lucy could feel hers to the same, but she suppressed the feeling. Now was not the time for romance, but the time for…an arranged romance. Salmon Top turned the corner before she did, and put his hand out to stop her. The blonde, her view blocked by his arm, peered over the shield of his upper arm, and gave out a tiny gasp.

They had not gone very far, yet Sting had already come across Rogue, who had been situated at the park the whole time, hugging Frosch and feeding a group of ducks. The boy's red eyes were directed towards the blonde boy's now, as he noticed the fury in his blue eyes.

"Why did you never tell me?" Sting whispered, but as Lucy and Natsu edged closer, they caught what he had said.

"Never tell you about…what?" Rogue inquired flatly, then for the first time, he noticed the blonde girl and the salmon-haired boy, now quite close to the conversation's source and Lisanna, who was standing, lost, off to the side. Realization flickered across his face, and he regarded Sting with intense sorrow.

"Oh, yes, the marriage."

"How could you never tell me about this? I thought we were friends…! Or did you just pity me like that old man said?!"

Lucy, despite her hot, burning rage at her father, squeaked in protest. "My Father is NOT old!"

What happened next shocked all of them: Rogue _laughed. _

"What-?"

"I' m really quite glad that you still love your father even after…all of this, Lucy-san."

"Of course I love him! He's my…he's," the blonde's voice quieted, "he's my father."

"Yes, but some people are known to hate their parents completely…like my childhood friend did, unfortunately…"

"Your childhood friend?"

"I have never told anyone…that I loved my childhood friend."

Even Sting, who was red in the face with anger, was silenced. Rogue was staring at the ground, eyes shimmering with memories.

"Her name was Chie Takahashi, and she had the most beautiful, and the palest blue hair I had ever seen. It was almost white it was so pale. Her parents wanted her to socialize with no one. She was the daughter of two extremely famous actors and entrepreneurs; in their eyes, nobody was good enough to associate themselves with their daughter. Chie hated them for this. Every day, she would spend time alone, hated and shunned by other kids because they thought she was stuck-up and that she believed she was superior to everybody. One day…I…one day I ended up with her on class duties, and she asked me with sad, yet cold eyes, 'Will you not leave me like everybody else has when they have class jobs with me?' I replied with a no. I was not very much interested in her; as far as I could tell, she was emotionless, neutral, boring. I wanted friends, but her aura threw everyone else off, including me. But after that…"

Rogue closed his eyes as if remembering something sweet, yet painful.

"She greeted me every morning, kept me company, lent me things, and one day, one day she smiled. That was when I knew she was the one; I loved her I knew. But she was still dark and gloomy because of her parents. Then one day, when my parents went to go visit hers, and I overheard her father saying, 'We want Chie to have friends, trust us, we do…but ever since that threat message, we fear for her. We are scared that she will lose her life, and that we will lose everything…because you see, our everything is our daughter. Not money, nor clothes, nor furniture, not even this business or career! If Chie were to…to _die…_everything would have no meaning.' Her mother just wept quietly next to him, covering her face as she did so.

"Chie's dad explained that this morbid situation would only frighten her, and so he said, with some sorrow, that it would be better for her to think that her parents were keeping her in a hateful situation rather than expose her to the danger of the world…

"Despite that, I wanted to tell this news to her, to make sure that hurt look in her eyes whenever the topic of her parents was mentioned was erased…I was too cowardly. When we were in middle school, Sting, someone else told her, and she fell in love with that person instead."

Rogue took a shaky breath, his fingers trembling uncontrollably.

"And what…what does this have to do with the marriage?"

"Jude Heartfilia implored my parents to convince me to marry Lucy. Yet, I refused. I couldn't, not if I still truly loved someone else, but…he told me something, and his eyes filled with the utmost pain and sadness, that I could not _bear _to turn him down. It reminded me of _her_. I couldn't live with myself if I disappointed yet another suffering person, so that's why I agreed…not for something selfish like money.

"We moved to America Sting…not because your parents wanted to go first, but because mine _had _to go first."

"I knew it! So you pitied me, didn't you? Pitied that I looked sad or whatever, because I had no friends! Well, you can forget it! I don't need your stupid-!"

"I never pitied you," Rogue said amusedly, "Don't you think you're way too stupid to receive any kind of pity whatsoever? Though that might be something to lament over…I became friends with you because you looked so hurt and shocked when I told you I didn't know who you were…despite the fact that you told me later how much you hated being known so well. You seem ecstatic about how famous you are…maybe it's due to your stupidity that you don't realize it yourself? You spoke to me normally…and that's all. You accept people as they are Sting, and whether you turn out to hate them or like them, it doesn't matter. Though I can't say the same for your stubbornness with romance and whatnot. Poor Lucy…" The black-haired boy shot her a knowing look.

"Wait…what was it that my Father told you?" Lucy asked, feeling weak-kneed.

"Something that only sent the utmost pain and grief through me, I assure you," he replied, his mouth frowning, and his eyes trembling. "Lucy…I believe that you are the only person that convince him…that it's not his fault…that such an incident should not be blamed on him. If you do that, I am sure that he will stop all of these controlling factors of your life…but…please, if you do decide to do such a thing and go and listen to his feelings, don't do it out of hope for your life to be more free, do it because you want to aid your father and help him."

"I…" the blonde hesitated, and grabbed onto Natsu's sleeve, "I love my father."

And with that, she turned around, dragging Natsu with her. "Come with me."

The office was just as quiet as before; Square Face had gone off somewhere, and no guards were around. As Lucy opened the study's door, the strong smell of wine hit her, and she covered her nose in disgust. Salmon Top wrinkled his nose, but did not venture to pinch his nostrils together so as to block the smell out.

"Father?" the blonde called out, and a hunched over figure on the desk moved. Her father's face emerged, tired and worn.

"Lucy…!" he gasped and grabbed the several unopened wine bottles from his desk to hide them in his drawer.

"Dad…I need to ask you something…."

It seemed that she had caught him at an unexpected time. He had lost all composure and regality, and his exhausted expression depicted a vulnerable man, worn down by years of suffering from something.

"What…is it?" he asked, sitting up.

"Why do you control my life the way you do? Does it have to do with something…in your past?"

Jude froze, his face turning pasty white, and his blonde mustache and hair standing out on his head. Lucy watched as his fingers dug into the desk, as if he wished to puncture holes in the mahogany top. He looked at her with fear, confusion, and pain. The pain ran so deeply, Lucy could tell, that she could feel it rolling off him in waves.

"Da-?"

"Not in my past, Lucy…" he said finally, "in _our _past."

"Wh-what do you mean?"

Jude peered at her for a moment, his hands grabbing onto the desk even more tightly. "I was a successful business man even back then…and Layla, your mother I mean, she was the love of my life. You were only four or so, still so young…I let Layla make her own choices, do what she wanted, run the business at times, take care of the financial issues of the Heartfilia Konzern. My friend scolded me, saying I shouldn't let my wife run so freely, but I ignored them, telling them that she could do anything she wanted…it was her life. And then one night…one night…"

His voice was cracking and he was clutching on the desk.

"One night we were invited to a party…I decided not to go…but she decided to attend the party. Many times my friends have told me that husbands should be the ones making the decisions about appearing at houses and whatnot…but, but I let her…and that night, Layla…on her way home…" the man's voice grew quiet, so that he spoke the next words in a whisper, "got into a car accident."

Jude stood up suddenly, his eyes widening crazily, and he screamed, "_And all these years, I still think that if I hadn't let her make her own choices, if I had ordered her not to go, if I had been a little stronger just as my colleagues said I was supposed to be, Layla would not be dead now!"_

He was taking deep breaths and he looked pleadingly at Lucy. Step by step, he approached her, whimpering slightly. "So, you see, Lucy? That's why I cannot let you make your own choices, or you shall perish…just like Layla did, just like your mother did on that fateful night. And if you should die…if you should go and disappear just like she did…_I could not stand the weight of the burden I hold any longer!" _

He walked backwards, away from the blonde, reaching his desk, and lowering his hand into a hidden drawer. From it, he withdrew something that made Lucy cry out in horror. It was a dagger, gleaming in the afternoon light that streamed in through the windows behind him.

"I f one day you were to go, I shall take this dagger and…!"

He pressed the point of the blade against his throat and a drop of blood appeared. He then pulled it away and began to slash at the sleeves of his elegant coat.

"No! Stop Father! What are you-!?"

Her voice faltered as a blur of salmon flitted before her eyes. When she looked at Jude next, he was kneeling on the ground, stunned as Natsu gripped on the knife in the man's right hand. Salmon Top wrenched the weapon out of his hands, and threw it across the room. "How could you do such a thing!? Your daughter is right here, right now, isn't she?! So, _why_…_why are you harming yourself right in front of her!?"_

A gurgling noise was emitted from Jude Heartfilia's throat and he began to sob tremendously. The blonde finally unfroze from her spot, and walked towards him. She stood above him for a moment before she bent down and enveloped his broad frame with a hug.

"It's not your fault father, mother passed away doing what she wanted because that's what the man she loved said she could do. And she was right at ease because she knew the man she loved was right at home, waiting for her with her beloved daughter. She died _free _and uncontained. So don't you cry and fret on your own," Lucy whispered into his ear, "don't you carry this grief on your shoulders, and don't you ever weep by yourself, because you have a daughter – me – to share those emotions with…_Daddy._"

His sobs grew louder and he reached out to hug her back; his bloody arms spread red liquid all over her shirt, but she didn't care. Nothing was more important than hugging her father…except, of course, the hospital for her Papa.

"Natsu-!"

"I'm already on it," he declared, dialing in 119 (A/N: That's the emergency number in Japan, I believe) on his cell phone.

"Heartfilia…on Nirvana Road…yes…yes," Salmon Top responded to the person on the other end.

"You love him, don't you?" Jude whispered in her ear.

The blonde looked up at the onyx-eyed boy, and blushed, "Yeah, I do."

"So be it."

The man passed out in her arms.

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**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you think Jude went really insane and crazy and just a little teeny bit scary in this chapter...I agree with you...:D**


	20. Chapter 20: Chie Takahashi and

**I am content that I have updated TWO chapters this time! *dancing around in joy* Yes, I am a weirdo.**

**Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Fairy Tail**

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**Chapter 20: Chie Takahashi and Wedding Plans**

A girl, alone in her England home, sat down on her wide bed, brushing her hair and staring out her room's windows with her hazel eyes. The sky was darkening; nightfall was fast approaching (A/N: since it was getting to be nightfall in Japan in the last chapter, and right now it's night in England in this chapter…I really don't know whether it's actually supposed to be daytime or not…so forgive me if it's inaccurate!) and something eventful had happened during the day. Chie's boyfriend had broken up with her, announcing that Inoue Ogata was prettier than her by miles. And yet, the pale blue-haired girl felt not a twinge of sadness. Her feelings were no different than they usually were these days. The only irregularity had been when Rogue left.

Eyes cast downward, voice flat and emotionless, he had told her that he was leaving for Japan…a day before he actually had to depart. Chie had felt so frustrated and upset at him that she had broken several vases in the house in her anguish. Tears had dirtied her face, and only miserable feelings were present for the whole month. He would usually come over to her house on weekends…although that had changed little by little after she had gotten into a relationship, and after he had gone, the empty loneliness in her house was unbearable. Several times, she had inquired her parents if they could visit Japan, but they said no, Rogue would return soon. Soon felt long…too long.

Chie got up from the mattress and crossed over to her dresser, where she peered into the mirror. In her opinion, she didn't think she was pretty at all, only an annoying, a bit too skinny girl who had once hated her parents…After Izumi – her now ex-boyfriend – had told her it was all because of a silly threat letter, she had come to appreciate them again.

"I'm dating him," she had said to her friends, and Rogue had had a strange look in his eyes. And right away, she knew that he had known all along about the threatening message sent to her mom and dad. Then why had he not told her?

Despite the fact that she had ordered him to write to her while he was away, not a single letter had reached her home bearing the signature of Rogue Cheney. It was all rather gloomy, really, and Chie hated being gloomy. It seemed to her that every time she whined, complained, or felt miserable, everyone around her thought she was irritating. The girl turned away from the mirror and headed over to the bed once again. Just half a month ago, she had learned from her parents that Rogue was to be married to some girl. The blonde female had appeared pretty in the photo provided, and Chie had felt a twinge of…jealousy.

The possibility was that unknowingly, throughout the years, she had gradually fallen for the red-eyed boy…

If that was so, she had most likely ruined her chances with him after getting together with that jerk of a guy. Izumi had cheated and lied to her countless times; he was now Inoue Ogata's problem, not hers. Listlessly, she ran her hand through her silky hair, dazed and not at all paying attention to her surroundings. Groaning, she fell backwards, so that she landed on her bed with a muffled poof. Slowly, she crept under her blankets, and turned off the lights. Red eyes and black hair filled her dreams that night…

"What happened to him?" asked the nosy nurse, who was wrapping Jude's arms in bandages.

Natsu rolled his eyes, "He cut himself 'cause he went crazy for a moment. What else does it look like, a bull ran over him?"

Lucy covered his mouth with her hand, and she smiled at the glowering woman. "It's like he tells it…without that bull part."

"Well," said Nurse Lyra, sniffing, "he'll be fine… from whatever he got himself into. In the end, he didn't hit any major veins or arteries…that would have been bad."

The blonde grinned with relief, and covered Natsu's mouth again as he opened it to retort with something sarcastic. "Uh, yeah, thanks."

The woman left, leaving Lucy alone with Natsu in the small, compact, and white hospital room. The blonde turned to him with a more than annoyed expression.

"Do you really have to do that?"

"Do what?"

"Say sarcastic things…?"

Salmon Top ran his hand through his hair. "Uh…_yeah._"

Lucy sighed, and laid her hand on her father's forehead; he was breathing normally and peacefully, a good sign. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, and Lucy rocked backwards on the chair she was sitting on in surprise.

"Hyaa!"

"I…the hospital?" he questioned, turning wearily towards her. She nodded, her heartbeat slowing as she calmed down. Jude sighed and lifted his arms to rub his face; he gave a grunt of pain as the bandages on his arm creased and pressed against his wounds uncomfortably. Splotches of red were already beginning to appear on the white pieces of cloth wound about his upper arms and forearms. Lucy pushed his hands down, urging him to rest, but the man turned his head again and caught sight of Natsu.

"I'm calling off the wedding plans with Rogue…" Jude told Natsu matter-of-factly, and the salmon-haired boy grinned widely. "But in the meantime, I expect you two to make your own…"

"Dad!" Lucy yelped, and lunged forward to cover the man's mouth. His voice continued on, but the words were so muffled that they could not understand a thing. She turned to Natsu embarrassedly, "He's tired. He has no idea what he's talking about."

The boy only stared back at her intently, and she turned away to lay her hands on her father's forehead again.

"You must have been here for some time," Jude finally said, "You should go home to prepare yourself some food. I suspect I'll be here for some hours more."

"It's all right. I'll stay here with you," Lucy assured, but Father shook his head.

"Go home, I'll be fine, really," the man turned his head to face Natsu yet again, "And walk her home for me, will you? I suppose you can stay there as well. But no funny business, got it?"

"Dad!"

As they walked out of the hospital leisurely, Natsu turned to look at her. He mumbled something, and the blonde directed her gaze at him.

"What?"

"You know…I wouldn't really mind…" Salmon Top said hesitatingly, "I wouldn't really mind if I ended up marrying you."

Lucy just stared at him, then with her face growing hot, and her mind in a mixed up commotion, she turned away. "Um….thanks?"

"Just consider it as a proposal, if you like…just an unofficial one, though."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"I love you Luce."

"It's Lucy. And I love you a million times more."

Natsu sniffed, "Whatever."

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**Again, I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Please leave me a review and tell me what you think! This story is coming to a close soon!**


	21. Chapter 21: I Don't Want to be!

**This is the last chapter, peoples! *sniff, sniff* I'll finish up the side story with Nina and Ryouta in the next chapter, but this chapter marks the conclusion of I Don't Want to Be Cuahgt Up in Your Love Story**

**Disclaimer: I Don't Own Fairy Tail!**

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**Chapter 21: I Don't Want to Be Caught up In Your Love Story!**

Sting pulled at the collar of his shirt, feeling sweaty and uncomfortable. Next to him Rogue was looking fine, calm, and pleased. The sun was beating down on them, but the breeze carried the coolness of the stream that ran next to them. Yet, the blonde boy still pulled at his shirt uncomfortably.

Up near the platform that was set on the green, vast expanse of meadow was Natsu, who glanced at the priest in front of him excitedly. In the front row were Salmon Top's father, aunt, and uncles, looking happy and content for him. Rogue leaned over sideways to talk to Sting.

"Are you fine with this?"

"Better than ever," Sting replied, "after those years of chasing after her, I've come to realize that she truly…_loves_…that idiot."

"It took you a few years to realize it," Rogue muttered, "Maybe you're the idiot."

"Love does some crazy stuff to people, Rogue."

"Shh!" Chie hissed, grabbing onto Rogue's hand affectionately. She had been eagerly anticipating this day for months, happy for her blonde friend, and had spent nights even to plan this day with her. The black-haired boy interlocked his fingers with Chie's, and shrugged to Sting. He turned just in time to see an old-fashioned, sparkling white, horse drawn carriage pull up to the equally white carpet that led to the platform in front. The door opened slowly, and out stepped Jude, his face looking older and more wrinkled, but cheerful. He lifted his arm and a delicate hand protruded from the inside of the vehicle. Bit by bit, Lucy emerged, adorning a strapless, glittering white wedding dress that conformed to her body perfectly. She held a bouquet of snowy white flowers in one hand; the other hand was used to grasp on firmly to her father's left elbow. The blonde stepped down gracefully, smiling at the guests whom she had invited to her wedding day.

There was Gray, who had Juvia closely holding onto his elbow; as the blonde watched, Gray turned slightly to kiss the blue-haired girl lightly on the forehead. Then there was Erza who held hands with Jellal, and Levy, who was standing closely to Gajeel. Wendy was in the front row, right next to Romeo Conbolt, a close family friend with whom she was dating with. Hughes, Mary, and Coco had also come, looking much older than they had when they had come before.

"Let's go, Lucy," Father whispered, and she nodded serenely. Together, they approached the platform and Natsu looked at her with a light blush over his cheeks. He looked strikingly handsome in his white suit, and as she faced him on the little makeshift stage, she wanted to avert her gaze.

"Ten years later, and you still look wonderful," they muttered under their breaths, and blushed when they realized their whispers could be heard by the entire assembled crowd.

Somehow, in between all the heart squeezes and heart thumps, they managed to exchange their vows.

"Do you, Lucy Heartfilia, take Natsu Dragneel as your husband?"

"I do."

"And do you, Natsu Dragneel, take Lucy Heartfilia as your wife?"

"You bet I do!"

A short sigh of exasperation was heard from Grandine at his reply, but she stared on with a smile.

"You are now husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Salmon Top leaned in and the tension of the crowd broke as his lips pressed against hers for about the trillionth time in her life. With a single sweep of her arm, her left hand, which now wore a sparkling and jeweled ring, threw the bouquet of flowers into the air. A single cheer arose into the sky as everyone rushed to congratulate the two newlyweds.

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"And that's the love story," Natsu finished, leaning back into the couch to relax. A little boy with blonde, spiky hair and onyx eyes leapt up onto the couch.

"That was one GROSS story," he announced in his ten-year-old voice.

"Oh, shut up, Taiyou!" snapped a thirteen-year old girl with long wavy salmon hair and chocolate brown eyes. She peered up at Natsu, "So Daddy, who caught it?"

"Who caught what, Luna?" the salmon-haired man asked, puzzled.

Taiyou gave a snort, as if he were saying that his father was really stupid. "Who caught the bouquet, flame brain."

Natsu swept Taiyou up into a headlock and answered simply, "Wendy did. Shortly after, she got married to Romeo."

"How romantic!" Luna swooned, and Taiyou made a gagging motion. His older sister slapped the back of his head and he growled at her ferociously.

"Don't fight you two," a stern voice said from behind them. They looked up frantically, and relaxed when the mystery person turned out to be a blonde woman with brown eyes.

"Mother! We just heard about your guys' love story!" Luna yelled excitedly, gesturing to Natsu.

Lucy frowned at him. "Oh, Salmon Top, how could you ever bring up such a story?"

"Back from the grocery store, eh?" he replied, changing the subject with ease. He leaned in and kissed the blonde lightly on the mouth.

"Oh, that is so gross! Are you guys, like, trying to scar me for life or something?" Taiyou said moodily.

"That's enough out of you, young man," Lucy giggled, heaving him up into her arms. "One day, you'll fall in love too, and YOUR kids will be the ones gagging over your story."

The doorbell rang from the entrance hall.

"That should be…everyone…for the reunion party," Lucy concluded, putting Taiyou down onto the floor. She smiled toothily at Natsu.

"And maybe, kids, you'll get to hear THEIR love stories," the salmon-haired man and blonde woman said in unison.

"Alright!" Luna said gleefully, but Taiyou made a face. Wrinkling his nose, he opened his mouth widely to speak loudly.

"I don't want to get caught up in their love stories!"

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**And that's the end! IMPORTANT: For those of you who want to find out about Nina and Shinichi (Ryouta), Akira and Maiko in the side story, well...that'll be coming next! But I Don't Want... is finished! *sniff, sniff* :'D**


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